Utopia
by YaYugi
Summary: Well, Amane, I've really done it this time." Yu-Gi-Oh x Vampire Hunter D crossover.
1. Introduction: The Gray Room

Disclaimer: Oh dear lord…I do not own Yugioh! or any other anime/manga that may arise in this fanfic. I will continue the list as we go along, but I own none of these characters, they are all owned by the awesome authors that created them as well as the big name companies that distribute them. I am just a simple interweb being that owns…her life?

ALSO I believe anime/manga/book characters, unless specifically stated, do not have birthday years.

If I see no birthday year, I will go by the age and the year that story begins, that does not belittle your opinion or mine, as even I am not concrete on this. Math was done. .

I want to thank Defective Ice Cube for being my Beta Reader, and my Lil Airhead for giving me the idea to show that everyone must grow to be interesting.

Introduction: The Gray Room

September 3, 1999

11:30 am

Dear Amane,

It's cold here.

Then again, maybe that is not the best place to start. I'm just confused, as I'm sure anyone in this sort of situation would be. It is a very odd predicament I am in, and I can't for the life of me remember what happened. The only reason I know the date is because of the clock that is on the end table beside the bed a couple feet away. That means something must have happened between now and yesterday, which is stating the obvious I know, but thinking this out is helping me stay calm.

Yugi-kun threw a party for me yesterday. It was nice, everyone was there. Pretty much all we went was to the arcade and then eat at Burger World. Everyone got me a little something. By the way, I left my present for you in the usual spot, I thought it was pretty and I know how much you like detailed wooden boxes. I even filled it with those candy necklaces you always ate. Anyway, that's around the time that everything else blanks out on me. I remember hanging out with Yugi-kun again afterward, he came over, and we went down to the park and walked, talking about the past, and how different life was for us now. Life has been pretty normal for us, ever since we…Again, that's not the point, and I'm sure you don't want your big brother to go on writing unimportant things.

I remember hearing a plane, it was rather far away. I also remember talking to Yugi about the news that day. It seems that no one is getting along politically. He and I both agreed that it was a shame. Life is wasted when people don't appreciate each other or their company. Then again I can't really talk; I've been feeling a bit wary of people ever since that incident with, well, you know. Anyhow, after that, I remember something really warm, I think it was windy, and then…I remember a wall. But that is where everything else is a bit fuzzy. After all of that, I remember waking up here, tightly tucked into the bed, my head aching. It still aches, but it isn't that bad.

At first I thought I might be at home, that I dreamt it all. Then I thought I might be in a hospital. It may have been three years ago, but I got pretty used to waking up in odd places, most of all hospitals for apparently passing out at random times. We all know the culprit of that too, and I was worried for a moment, somewhat worried anyway that he was back. But again I was wrong, as I think I would need the Millennium Ring for that to have happened, which I don't. It's at the bottom of a caved in pit for all I know. I got up to try the door, which was the next thing I noticed, considering it was the only one, but it was locked. I tried prying it open, I tried knocking and then banging on it, and after what seemed like forever, I tried kicking it. I think it's made out of metal, it sounds like it is anyway. The gray paint doesn't tell me much; it's just layered on so thickly that I can't feel if it's metal when I touch it.

Of course, after all of that, I began to panic. I couldn't really help it. I sat on the bed, trying to talk myself out of it, and forced myself to think of other things. That is when I noticed the room is all gray. The ceiling is gray, the walls are gray, and the _carpet_ is gray. Even the sheets on the bed are gray. I don't get it. I understand liking a color, but why make everything that specific color, and why of all colors gray? If I hadn't held my hand up to my face and realized that my skin was still its normal color, I would have sworn that I was color blind. At least there is a slight difference in the shades of gray, but for all I know that could be a trick of the light coming from the window above the bed. It's small, I could probably get my arm through it if it was open, but that's all. I can't see out of it, so it's useless to me there. The glass is frosted and when I tapped it, it seemed to be that bullet proof kind. I wasn't about to punch it, as I don't even know if I could do that with regular glass. I wouldn't have anything to protect my hand with either, as the clothes I'm wearing are not my own. They're as flimsy feeling as hospital gowns, but they look like regular gray (for some reason I can just hear you laughing at my annoyance) pajamas. I'm sure that regular glass would have still slaughtered my hand.

Aside from the small window and the locked door, there seems to be no means of escape. It is a bit unnerving to not know what is going on or who put me in here. My last memories are of no help either, and it makes me worry for Yugi-kun… I don't know if he's here, outside, or safe back at home. I don't want to make you worried, but I am scared. If there hadn't been this notebook in the desk drawer…I'm sure I would be panicking far more than I am now. I'm going to have to wait to get this to you, but it could be worse. I think I'm going to look around the room again; there might be something I have missed.

Amane, I really wish you were with me right now. It would be nice to not be alone here. I have this bad feeling in my gut something has gone terribly wrong.

Love from your big brother,

Ryou

Tucking the pen in between the pages of the notebook with a shaking hand, he reviewed his letter and wondered if his sister would even be able to read it. It was quite a pathetic bit of handwriting, but he had needed to write it. He had been near tears after running around the room in a frenzy for two hours straight unable to find a way out. He did not mind that he was in the room, but the fact he did not know who put him there, or why the door was locked unnerved him to the very core. Wringing his hands, he walked over to the door again, and tugged on the handle as hard as he could. The lock clinked against the metal that held it in place and settled back with another when he let go. Running his fingers through his hair, he wobbled miserably back to the bed, defeated. Sitting down, he stared at the gray fibers of the floor, wishing that they would just catch on fire just to give the room some color. It would not bother him except for the fact that it was weird. The whole situation was weird, and he hated it. "I just can't catch a break can I?" he asked himself, yearning for some sort of noise that did not come from the ticking alarm clock at the side of his bed.

The truth was he was tired of looking for a way out. He had searched the room at least five times over, even going so far as to throw the notebook up at the ceiling to see if there was any way out before sitting down and writing to is sister. Whoever had made the room had not thought about how claustrophobic it could become. A mirror could have made the room more appealing, but there was none. He had looked for one when he had woken up because of his fear of being colorblind. In the end it would have been unnecessary, but it would still have made the room better looking.

The door rattled suddenly, and he jumped. He had not expected it to move, as it was quite heavy, and he doubted any wind could push it, if there were wind outside of the room. That would mean that there was a person behind it, and he had a mixed feeling of joy and trepidation as he heard the person on the other side fumbling with the lock. It almost sounded like they were using something other than a key. Within seconds the door swung open with ease (he almost wondered if he had imagined the weight) and as he looked up he saw…

Nothing.

Blinking in confusion, he looked away from the white wall in the hallway down to see if there was anyone at all in the doorway. A child with black hair down to their mid-back stared back at him with confused dark eyes. He wondered briefly of its gender, as it was adorable to no end for either but pushed the thought out of his mind, feeling a little perplexed. What was a child doing there and how did it open that door?

They said something he did not understand, and seemed to pause, waiting for an answer. He continued to watch the child as they came into the room. Oddly, their foot steps did not seem to make sound as they made their way to him. Curiosity filled black eyes stared straight into his own when they were about a yard's length from each other. It was unsettling, and he felt the urge to hold onto the bed sheets with an iron grip so as not to move. He felt like he was about to sink. The child's skin which was paler than his own (a feat within itself, or so he thought) made the contrast even more bizarre.

The child repeated what they had said, a little more clearly, but not any more comprehensible to his ears. He shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, I don't understand you." He only hoped the child would lead him to an adult, or better yet, understand him.

The child placed their hands together and interlaced its fingers. It was an adorable pose, one that many children took, while fidgeting, when they were going to ask a question or a favor. This child did not fidget, but its hands spoke for him. Continuing to look at him with a confidence he had not seen in any child before, they shrugged. "Oh, I suppose I should have known," it was an odd statement, or so he thought, "Who are you? I've never seen you before, are you new? How did you come to be in here?"

He was in awe; the child had spoken without error, without a hint of an accent of another language, in perfect Japanese. By how the child had referred to itself, he finally figured that it was a boy, although his clothes which were unusually neat for a child were a little feminine. That or they were just very elaborate. Unsure of which question to answer first, he finally decided on answering them in order. "My name is Bakura Ryou; I am from Domino City, Japan."

"Bakura Ryou…is that last name first then first name, or first name and then last?"

"Uh…last and then first," he replied.

"Oh, well, I suppose that I must call you Mr. Bakura?"

"If you want to…"

"Father would want me to be polite, so Mr. Bakura, oh…that's English though."

Bakura smiled, it seemed the boy was trying very hard to remember his formalities. "It's okay, you can just call me Bakura if you would like, or Ryou if it is easier for the first name."

"I will call you Bakura. I won't use Mr. but I won't use your first name, that way it can be more polite."

"What ever you'd like," he answered, "so what is your name?"

"Oh, it's D-"


	2. The Child Named D

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! and I don't own Vampire Hunter D. I also don't own what ever other character that pops up in this story…unless I really did make them up. oO

Chapter One: The Child Named D

September 3, 1999

Let it be known that my "companion" will not be having any word in how I write this. He can go and drink used toilet water for all I care, as long as it doesn't make me sick. I will be using my right hand. I like that one better any way. My left hand leaves too many squiggles in the letters. I'd rather be able to read my own journal than put down possible information that may be important to me later, only to not be able to read it.

I pity the human race, I do. All in one day they managed to destroy all they worked for. It's truly sad. I only wonder if it would have been better if I had gone with them. I know I'm jumping around, but it is not like Father is going to bother reading my thoughts, so I can let some proper writing skills slip, although this was supposed to be for practice. Oh, I'm rambling…

Yesterday, at noon, Father of all people came into my room. I was practicing writing in English (I can speak it well; I can also speak Romanian, French and Japanese, the Japanese part because my father said I should…something something, I think he was trying to say my mother was Japanese, so I should learn how to speak it because I am part Japanese. I dunno how that logic goes into French…I guess he just liked the language), and he had told me to stop. I was surprised as usually I don't see him during the day. If I do, it's usually not a good thing. Most of the time it is one test or another and I get tired of having to heal every other day because he wants to know if my organs are developing, or if I'm showing some unique growth or skill. I'd say that my retention of a language this quickly is skill enough, as well as the fact I can heal from surgery so rapidly. My companion (and I use this word as I don't think friend quite fits the bill, he's kinda mean) is one of the newest tests, but apparently a success as well. I'm just a ball of successful cells aren't I? He's laughing, and I'm getting off topic. I really should stop; it is one of my failings. Father doesn't like failures. He said he's had too many. So, where was I?

Father came into the room rather abruptly, and told me it was time. Of course I had no clue what time he was talking about, but he ushered me out of my room faster than I can ever remember. I only had enough time to pick up my journal, which always has a pen in it, and my security blanket. I am glad I took both along, and not something else, otherwise I would be in a very bad position, as I'm sure all is burned and lost out there.

He was talking to the others, his puppets and failures, and they were doing all they could to dismantle his lab; I saw this as I was pushed by, into the arms of one of my caretakers. She was the one who told me what time it was. Apparently the estimated time for the "human's demise" was that day, and we were to leave for some safe place at once. I didn't think it was very bright for Father to have waited so long to go there, but I was told a little later on there had been a few "loose ends to tie up". What those were I don't know, and I don't particularly want to. What is important is that we arrived. I did not see where, as I had been told to take a nap (although I think I really shouldn't have to, I feel like I sleep all the time), and by the time I woke up we were in a garage of some sort. I heard father mumbling to himself about how he didn't think things over correctly and probably should have been vacationing in Australia instead of Japan at this particular time. I was again ushered into another hall way, down a terribly long flight of stairs, and into a room that was…sterile looking?

It was a bland room, but it looked like it was well protected. Even though I could still hear through the walls, they were heavy, and looked like they could take whatever was thrown at them. There was a window, but since we were at the bottom of what seemed like some basement, I could only guess it was artificial light pouring through it. Again that did not bother me. I can go into the sun just fine, but it's like thousands of needles against my skin. This light feels better. I was told not to leave until instructed. I was apparently one of the few that were allowed a bathroom, so there would be no need for me to come out. That suited me fine, as I had no intention of leaving the room; I had no clue where I was, and had no interest in blowing up. So I fell asleep again.

I woke up only to the sound of a deep boom and the feeling of the room shake suddenly. I was alarmed at first, but remembering where I was, the sensations were easy to cast aside. It wasn't too hard to fall asleep again. Later on I woke up when I heard people walking outside my room. It sounded like they were carrying something big. I stopped breathing and listened hard, as even through these walls I could hear if I was quiet enough.

They sounded rushed, annoyed, and all too obviously interested in the thing they were carrying. I remember them talking about being hungry, and that it was infuriating that my father did not allow them to take this meal until it was thoroughly tested. I immediately knew it was a person, and felt great pity for them. It would have been far better had they died in the explosion. Most humans Father tests on, regardless of their gender, are killed in the end because of their inability to cope with the procedures. After a while, when I did not hear any struggle in the other room, I fell back asleep. I figured that they would be gone before long, and it would be dumb to stay up and worry about someone marked for death. (My companion is questioning how I would know anything about people being marked for death. I'm going to ignore him.)

I would have probably slept until now, but I heard banging in the other room and couldn't sleep after that. The person was still alive, and while I could not make much out of what they were saying, the fact that they had enough energy to do that made me curious to see if it really was a human in there. I would have thought that being in an explosion would have caused a lot of damage to a body. I've been listening to them pace ever since, but now they have stopped, possibly due to the fact that their room is as much protected as mine. I can't see any regular person being able to open one of these doors when they are locked. I on the other hand…

I'm going to take the ends off of this spiral notebook now. I'll leave the middle and bend it so it will still stay intact, but I need the rest. The person sounds like they are attempting to open the door again, and I'm getting curious. This parasite of mine is warning me against it. This person might be dangerous if they are still able to be so frantic. I think its adrenaline and anxiety, so I'm not going to listen to him. I may not know much about other people, but I do know when I meet most of them, their first instinct is not to attempt to kill me. I am just a kid after all. I should have written child, but I don't want to. So journal of mine, wish me luck.

D (incoherent scribbles)

P.S. I will say this yet again, I hate my name.

The renaissance child was quick to pry off the ends of his journal and bend them into a makeshift lock pick. Placing the notebook under his pillow, he hurried to the door and pulled on the handle just enough to feel how heavy the door might swing. The bolt itself was heavy, and the door would make a rather loud noise if he was not careful when he opened it. Letting it fall back into place with a thunk, he began to pick the lock. While the door and bolt were weighty, the lock was as basic as one would find in a modern day home. D had dealt with far more complex locks, as his father kept quite the lock on the child's door at home.

Within moments D heard the lock give and quickly opened the door, dancing in silent celebration as he made his way to the other painted metal door. Within those few feet, he realized even if the person on the other side of the door was docile, if his father ever found out; it would be hell for him for a good few months. Whenever his father was angry, that was when the more sadistic experiments were conducted. He debated for a time on whether or not to return to his room, but in the end decided to go forward with his plan, as he figured he would be fine. It was not as if he could not handle the procedures, and he was at least lucky enough to have his father appreciate his talents and be willing to take care of him, instead of casting him aside like his other blunders. Taking a deep breath he readied himself and unlocked the door to find a young man with the hair color he had only known to be achieved by the truly old, and defeated brown eyes. He was a rather curious looking man, more beautiful than handsome. For a second D wondered if he had just walked in on one of his father's friends, instead of the prisoner he had expected to find.

The first moments with this young man were awkward; there had been a brief language barrier, and some formality problems on D's part, but other than that, the soft spoken man was kind enough sounding, and rather pleasant looking. D did not expect any hostility from him, as Bakura had made no movement to rise from his seat on the bed.

"So," Bakura said, "you're name is Duu?"

D blinked, realizing he had refrained from saying the rest of his name. "Oh, no…no, no, no," Twisting his fingers, he glanced around the room and wondered why it was so gray. It was not his father's style at all. "It's D…just D."

From his left hand came an obnoxious chuckle and D quickly clenched his hand, shoving it into his pocket. Bakura tilted his head and glanced down at D's covered hand, asking the question without even saying it. Had that laugh come from his hand? D was in no mood for explaining so he decided to quickly change the subject. He had some questions of his own anyway.

"What are you doing here?" D asked, wondering if indeed this young man was to become his father's next research tool.

Bakura did not answer at first, he looked down and his gaze slid to the desk with a composition book lying on top of it. D wondered if he kept a journal too, or if that had just been apart of the décor. Sighing, he shrugged, and looked at D apologetically. "I'm sorry, but I really don't know. I was kind of hoping someone would explain that to me."

D did not find this surprising, but it was still unsettling to have the knowledge that this man's life was to be over in a far more horrible way than it would have been had he died in the explosion. "I'm sure Father had his reasons for bringing you here," he replied, unable to think of anything positive to say.

"You're father brought me here?" Bakura asked, perking up somewhat, "Could you take me to him?"

"No," D answered, cringing at his bluntness. His father would not have approved, "Not to be rude, but it is very difficult to get an audience with him, and I think he would be asleep at this time. He's usually very busy…"

"An audience?" Bakura raised an eyebrow. It was obvious D had slipped up in some way, but he could not think of how. "You actually have to set up a time with him?"

'Oh great,' D thought, smacking his forehead. He had to remember that this man did not live like he did, and to say that people needed to set up an audience probably confused him. He silently cursed his father for expecting so much out of him. Things were hard to keep track of.

"It's not like it really matters you know," his left hand whispered, "he'll be dead probably within the month, although that might be thinking optimistically."

"Be quiet!" he hissed, "he's probably not used to these things!"

"Who are you talking to?" D looked up to see Bakura standing up. He was short compared to his father; his white hair was more haphazard looking at this angle, though, adding a little height. He was not as intimidating, but still D could feel something strange about him, and had the feeling that the young man could feel the same about him. 'Is he really human?' he wondered. It was not like he had seen too many. He usually saw the end result, which was never pretty, and they had never had such a presence in life.

"Oh…eh…" D pursed his lips, wracking his brain for a lie. Oh, his father was going to be so annoyed with him. "My…friend?"

Bakura tilted his head, and smiled at him. D could not tell if he had seen through the lie, or had just found the idea amusing. "Well," he said, walking past D to his surprise, "I suppose that you and your friend will have to thank your father for me."

"What?" The child raced after him, "Why would I have to do that?"

Bakura looked down at him, an apologetic half smile still formed on his lips. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to be a burden on him, if he has so many already. I should probably go home now…could you tell him I said thank you? And maybe, if you could, point the way out of here?" His gaze moved back to the corridor that had, until recently, been unknown to him. "It looks like the door on the end doesn't lead out."

D frowned. "Well, I would if I could, but I can't," Pausing for a moment, he thought upon the situation, "Then again, I don't think I would. I mean, what is left up there anyway?"

Bakura blinked and leaned down as if he had not heard what the young boy had said. "What? What do you mean 'what is left up there anyway?'"

"What do you mean what do I mean?" D asked in honest disbelief, "There is nothing up there anymore, unless that explosion failed at doing what it was supposed to do."

"Explosion?" The young man's voice was quiet. It seemed he was realizing something for the first time. "There was an explosion?"

"Yes," D said, rather shortly, "as Father said there would be. Yesterday was the end of the human's reign on this earth. It would be a miracle if someone survived, the way my father was on about it."

"So…" D looked up to see the young man's face twisted into panic and fear. Was there also pain? "Everyone is gone? This didn't affect just one city? Then…how did you survive?"

"We knew about it beforehand," D said, shrugging. "At least, Father did. Why he didn't share this knowledge with anyone but his allies, I do not understand and probably never will. It's –"

"You're lying!" Bakura gasped, covering his mouth, "that would mean all of my family…my friends…are gone. Gone because your father would have been too selfish to warn everyone…and he knew? Why would someone not tell their own kind that they were about to make such a massive mistake? What is the point on saving just a few people, when he could have done more?" Tears were welling in his eyes. He knew it was the truth, but D had to finalize it, because of the indignity of being called a liar was too great.

"I'm not lying, and it isn't like he wasn't protecting his own kind. Humans are only food to him-" It was D's turn to cover his mouth, but the damage had been done. The man before him was staring at him as if he were some sort of monster. It saddened him, as the young man had seemed so nice up until now.

"Well, it's not every day that you find out your race has been wiped out of existence," a raspy voice chuckled.

"Food? FOOD?!" Bakura shrieked, "What the hell is wrong with this place?! Why was I brought here? Am I food? Why did I have to be taken in by a bunch of cannibals?!" He took a step back and tripped, falling flat on his back. There was a quiet moan, and then the questions started again. "Why can't life be normal? And WHY IS EVERYTHING SO GRAY?!"

Amidst the soft sobs now coming from the man, D's voice could be heard with calm, knowing tone. "Not everything is gray. It's actually whiter out here."

"Same difference," he hissed, and then stopped. It was obvious he was ashamed of his attitude, and he was quick to stand up and wipe his eyes of the tears that overtook them. "I'm sorry," he sighed, "I really shouldn't be throwing a fit, especially in front of you. I must seem so childish."

"No you don't," D said, approaching him and patting the hand that hung by his side. It was the closest to compassion that he was used to receiving, and he felt that the man needed comfort. "Seem childish that is. I was being heartless, I have no idea what it is like to loose so many that are important to me, so I'm sorry if I sounded mean." The young man looked down at him and D could see a small smile forced onto his lips.

"I shouldn't have reacted like that though," Bakura continued, "I mean…It was really rude of me to say that your father is a cannibal."

"Well, he isn't," D replied, a little confused. Had not this young man been screaming at him two seconds ago?

"See, and you probably just said something else entirely. I mean, it isn't like your father really thinks that we're all just food."

"Oh, no, he does, for the most part."

Bakura stared at the child for a moment. "You mean that he thinks that we all at one point in time become food for something, right?"

D thought for a moment. Would it be wise to tell him the truth, knowing that he could completely lose it again? It was not like he had been hurt by him, so he decided the poor man needed to know before he died. It was better in his opinion to know his demise than to wait in fear, always wondering.

"No, he does think of humans as food. More than likely that is his reason for bringing you here. You were still alive; he just probably has to check you for radiation poisoning. That or he plans on experimenting on you."

"…" The man was at a loss for words. His mouth opened and closed a few times, as if he were trying to say something, but decided against it. Finally after a period of silence, he spoke. D figured that he was going to flip out again, but his voice had a hint of skepticism in it. He sounded as if he were trying to reason with himself. "Your father does know that he is human right? I mean, that can be the only reason that you'd be saying that. He must have taught you it."

"No," D replied, a little tired with the negative remarks he had to make, "I suppose that there is no point in hiding it anymore. You see, Father is not human. Neither am I. Nor are we crazy. And I suppose for good measure, not everybody died in that explosion. Father would have anticipated that, and probably would have saved more people, because he doesn't like going hungry."

"You're not human?" It was more of a statement, "okay, then, what exactly are you?"

"Well, I'm a dhampir. Father is a vampire."

"You're a dhampir, and he's a vampire?" Bakura asked incredulously, "You can't honestly expect me to believe that."

"But you believe that the world was destroyed," D pointed out.

"I'm not sure what to believe right now," he answered, "I've been through some weird stuff, but this is stretching it a bit. I mean, you're asking me to first believe that the world has been annihilated, then that vampires are real, and then that the vampire had a kid with a human, and no wait, the world couldn't have been totally annihilated, because then your father wouldn't be able to eat, and I was brought here to be food or some experiment." Bakura slumped down onto the floor, glancing up at D again with a smile, as if this had all been a joke, "Hey, I'm sure that whatever game you're playing is fun for you, but I feel like I just fell down more than four flights of stairs and survived. I'm sorry if I scared you before, but the fun has to stop here. If I can't talk to your father, can I speak with your mother?"

D did not speak for a moment, flabbergasted at the fact that the young man was so quick to disbelieve everything just told to him, when he had believed it only seconds before. Did not the situation feel too bizarre to not believe what he said? "My mother died recently," was all he could reply.

The young man stared straight into his eyes when he said this, and his assured expression disappeared, as if he had seen something that he was not expecting. "Oh," he mumbled, "I am sorry for your loss." His gaze moved from D's to the floor, and D could swear he saw tears in the man's eyes again. This young man seemed to be an emotional train wreck.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," D said, nonchalant. "She wasn't very happy anyway; I think that she may have been longing for death. At least that is what I understand from what Father said. A waste, he called it." D laced his hands together and muttered quietly, "I think he may have been the reason though."

Bakura looked up at him, surprised. "Why would you think something like that?"

Sitting next to him on the cold floor, D shrugged. "Whenever we were together, she always looked so sad…I was under the impression from the books that I've read that Father should have been making her happy, and all he said when he told me she was gone was that it was a waste."

"He told you that she was gone? Doesn't that mean she could have just left? Not to offend you or anything," Bakura said hurriedly, rubbing the back of his head.

"I just assumed it I suppose. I haven't seen her since, and all of my other siblings were destroyed when he said they were gone."

Bakura stared at him for what seemed like forever. It made D very uncomfortable, and he was debating yet again if it had been a good idea to talk to a complete stranger like this. He nearly yelped when he was lifted up by the arm and lead to the door at the end of the hall.

"Listen," Bakura said, his voice was stronger and filled with a tone of command that D was surprised to hear, "I don't know what is true, and what isn't. I don't know if I should believe you about a possible apocalypse or if you are a dhampir or what not. I am not going to allow you, though, to continue to live with a man who kills his children. That is what you meant, right?"

"Well, yeah, yes," he quickly corrected himself, "If Father deems them failures, then they are disposed of, but he isn't going to kill me, I've been nothing but useful to his studies."

"I don't care if you were his breakthrough to finding the cure for cancer; I'm getting you out of here. I'm sorry, but your father is not a sane man. No one has a right to take lives like that."

D looked up at him, almost amused. "How are you going to get out?" He pointed to the door. "It's locked, and we aren't even sure if that is the right door."

"Well how did you get into my room?" he asked.

"I picked the lock…" D was not sure he wanted to aid this man's train of thought. He would be in a lot of trouble if Father caught him trying to leave. He was curious though, to see the outside again. It was always a new experience.

"Well then, give me whatever you used and I'll pick it," he said shortly, waving off D's question of how he knew how to pick locks, "It's something I unintentionally picked up, go get your things and come back. I should have this door unlocked in a minute, and then we're out."

D nodded quickly, and ran to his room, picking up his journal and security blanket. His left hand chuckled and D stopped to take a good look at it. "What is so funny?" he asked. They had to hurry, and he did not have time to stop and listen to his hand's banter.

"Oh, I like how you keep changing your mind about this guy," the hand said, sniggering again, "So, when you get out, what are you planning to do? You won't be able to change your mind then."

"I just want to see what he's going to do," D replied, "and then I can come back. Father should still be –" He froze suddenly. There was an aura that he knew better than his own, right by the door that Bakura was attempting to pick. He heard it open, and the young man gave a surprised gasp. D dropped his things, biting his lip. His eyes traveled to his open door. He knew his father would know who opened it.

What ever was going to happen now was not going to be pleasant.


	3. Desperation and Escape

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! I do not own Vampire Hunter D. Anyone who thinks that is just silly.

By the way, thank you for the reviews. It makes me happy to know I am making something enjoyable for people to read.

Chapter Two: Desperation and Escape

The gray walls seemed so much smaller now.

And time was almost nonexistent…

March 2001?

Amane, help me…

I don't know what to do. I, I feel that I'm going insane. There are no words to explain what I'm feeling, what I've experienced. All of the scribbles on this page can attest to that. Oh God, Amane, help me.

Years have passed, and my concept of time is slipping, as half the time I'm unconscious, not unlike that time with my darker half. Oh, to have him back would be a blessing from even the most twisted of gods! This boy's father, this man…no, this monster, I can't explain it Amane, I'm crying so hard that the page looks white. I can no longer see the dark ink that is delivering this to you.

I'm his experiment, as his son puts so lightly. He also experiences these things, but, I don't know how he didn't go crazy from it for all of these years. In fact, if it wasn't for him, I would have gone insane probably months into this treatment. He has been my lifeline, that child. We have talked, and although I rarely see him, it helps. He seems to like me, but I don't think I can go on much longer.

It hurts Amane. It hurts. I have been injected with things I can't even pronounce, and others still I don't even want to know, and after I was tested for radiation…all those years ago, and the results came back negative, I have been, there is just no better way to say it, their food. I've been drained of blood, like a cow drained of milk. I just thank whoever has been looking over me this far that it has been through a needle. I have been opened up at least once, I'm still healing, and I really don't want to know what he was doing. I don't. The fear, though, and the pain; the confusion and the loneliness, I'm just losing it, I can feel it. In fact, this is the first time I have felt strong enough to sit up by myself and write. I'm just so lethargic. Thankfully D, that angel of a child, brought me this notebook again, as I had been unceremoniously moved from that prior room to another, and yet again to this one while I was unconscious. He is the only one here who doesn't treat me as a meal, although I'm sure he's had some of my blood before. There are only a few humans his father tested for blood use, he says, and I'm a favorite for some reason. I don't care if I'm their version of the most expensive sake, I want out! But I can't leave D-kun. He's been here for so long, and probably hasn't really lived. He's never actually celebrated his birthday.

Like I told you, D-kun and I talk. I told him everything there was to know about me, and he sat there, fascinated. I learned about him; how he can stand out in the sunlight and be fine, how rain only affects him a little, and how he, although turning eight in December of this year, has never tasted "human" food. He's taken to calling me Bakura-sama, whether out of some sick humor from his father or he honestly holds me in some high regard I don't know, but I need to get him out. Even if the world is a barren wasteland, it would be far better than the life he has here. Here, he's just an experiment, he's not a child. If I ever get out, I will be sure to take him.

I hear someone coming. It sounds like they're pushing a gurney. I bet it's just waiting to transport me to some hospital like room where they can take x-rays and get skin samples and use me yet again for their sustenance. How stupid these other "humans" are, from what I've seen, they're perfectly content being the food source, or the slaves. They proclaim that their lives are better here than what was waiting out there for them. I've been here long enough to know better.

Just kill me now, Amane. I'm begging you. If you can, kill me, and have D find his peace too. I'm losing what was me, and he has never had a break. It's funny that we share some of the same fate. Our lives have been nothing but some form of hell in a disguise of a decent life.

So just kill me, otherwise, I may just stubbornly live until I have the strength to kill someone else.

January 12, 2003

Amane,

It has been a while. Many Happy Belated Birthdays for all of the ones that we have missed. You won't believe all that has happened. I can't believe it myself.

After I stopped writing last, I was wheeled off to another room, and put under anesthesia. Between that time and the time I woke up, I'm not sure what happened. I was returned to my room, my notebook missing (D kun told me a little earlier today that he had taken it for safe keeping), and I was left there, alone, with no food or water for over a month. Of course, I was a mess. I was dying on the last day, I remember that feeling all too well from the time I sacrificed myself to protect Yugi kun and the others from my other half. That was when I saw you. I thought it was a hallucination, but I know now it couldn't have been. I always knew you were still around. In fact, writing this letter is a little silly of me, because it feels like you're right next to me, about ready to slap me for not sleeping like I probably should, but let me have my last letter to you not be a plea for death.

You saved me Amane. I apparently had been given something that was supposed to affect my metabolism, or something to that effect, I really don't know, I was in and out of consciousness when they were talking about it, but it hadn't worked as that man had planned. If you hadn't been there, I would have not survived those last few minutes as they tried to resuscitate me. You have always been there when I needed you, and I just want to thank you again. I know that doesn't explain why it took me so long to write to you again, but as I was in a delirium for a good portion of last year as they were trying different methods of, well, what ever they were trying to do. They stopped just recently, and I've been able to see D kun again, although each time I see him, he seems to be worrying about something. I wish he would stop, I don't even think I've seen that poor kid smile before. Then again I don't think I would either under these circumstances. He makes me smile though, every time he comes into the room I appreciate life more, because he continues on, no matter what is thrown at him. I wish that some day that I may be able to help him see that there is more to life than this, even without TV or video games.

Someone is coming downstairs…

I hope it is D kun. I'm sorry if I seem like a broken record, but it is all I really have to talk about. I'd rather not know the details of what they were doing to me right at this moment, so all I have to talk about is a child that keeps me going.

I miss Yugi kun and everyone else. I really miss Dad too. I wonder if they survived. Dad wasn't even in the country when this all happened, at least from what I remember, and if I survived then there is a good chance that Yugi kun survived, unless the reason I survived was due to the nutcase who locked me up in here for three years. I doubt that though, that was probably just my luck.

You know what's funny, Amane? With the way that I have been taken care of, you'd think that I'd be far worse off than I am. I still have the energy to walk around and I'm not even emaciated looking, but I rarely get fed. Look at me, I sound like a dog…if dogs could talk. I'm laughing now; I remember that Jounochi used to hate it when someone called him a dog, or a monkey-

The door opened so quickly that instead of closing the notebook all Bakura could do was to fling it across the room. His heart continued to beat rapidly even after realizing it was only the young boy that he had been praising on paper, but his stoic face he preferred to show the others brightened into a smile almost instantly.

"D kun! You scared the heck out of me. You need to watch your strength! That door is strong but you have a tendency to break-"

"There is no time." The short reply caught him by surprise. What was there no time for? "Father…he, there is one more experiment he wants to test on you."

Bakura shrugged. "So? It isn't like he hasn't done it before. What is this all about?"

"No!" D shouted, startling the young man. The child had never raised his voice in such a way to him. "If your body fails to accept this mutation, then he has no more use for you!"

"Mutation?" Bakura asked, "So that's what he's been trying to do? Wait, if he has no more use for me, how is that a bad thing?"

D gripped Bakura's pajamas with urgency, tugging on them, trying to get Bakura to stand up. "He'll kill you!" he hissed, actual panic in his eyes, "You have got to leave. You have to." Quickly glancing back over his shoulder, he continued to pull on him, "I can't let him kill you."

Bakura continued to watch the young boy struggle to get him standing with a strange look in his eyes. After longing for it for so long, he was finally going to be able to see what the outside looked like again. He would be free from it all, from these last four years of torture. How selfish though? Had he not also said he wanted D to feel what true freedom was like? If he could have D feel like a real kid, and not some sort of experiment; prodded when he did something unusual or spectacular, he did not care if he was killed attempting it.

"Yes," Bakura said, looking down at the child again with a smile, "We need to leave."

Seeming to not realize the full weight of his reply, D led him to the door. "Okay; the door that is in the niche seven doors down is the way out into the stairwell. I have already disabled the security cameras, so you should be able to sneak up to the ground floor without detection, considering there are only a few guards, and all of them are human."

"Why," Bakura interrupted, "are there only human guards, and why human guards in the first place? I thought he used them only for experiments."

"Because it's day time," D said, "they threw off your sleeping schedule about two years ago, that is why you probably feel that you need to go to bed right now. Father is asleep, I checked personally, so we should not have too hard of a time in getting you out of here, so long as you have enough energy. As for the fact that the guards are human, I believe father figured that they were loyal enough to him, considering most of them want to become vampires as well."

"Why?"

"I wouldn't know. Possibly they think it is the best means for survival, otherwise, I'd just say that they think it's cool. Anyway, after you are at the ground floor, it is pretty obvious where you need to go next. The door from the stairwell will take you into a sort of main lobby, where there will be two guards with guns on either side of the entrance. I speak with them regularly, and have a tendency of getting them in trouble for not doing their duty, which is to watch the door. The door itself in the day time is not barred because most of the experiments are asleep, and the humans awake are already allowed out, so it isn't even locked. I've seen them pass through it a number of times when I was supposed to be asleep."

Amazed at the unusual amount of detail the child had placed into his plan, Bakura could only shake his head in wonder. "How did you disable the security cameras in the first place?"

D shrugged. "I just imputed a virus that one of Father's friends created as a joke," his lip twitched, "I guess it wasn't much of a joke, considering it fried the entire system."

Bakura stood up, startling the child when he wrapped his arms around him. He could have sworn D had made a joke. Creating a normal life for them never seemed more in reach, as strange as that sounded. Hugging him tightly, he realized how much he had been lacking in human contact. Doing his best not to fall into a fit of sobs, he let the confused child leave his grasp, and turned to blink away tears. He was the adult in the situation, he should have a better handle on his emotions, but there were so many he was feeling at that moment. Looking back at the child once he was sure his face did not betray his emotions, he nodded. "Okay, let's go then! You said there wasn't much time right?"

D raised an eyebrow, "Yes, there isn't much time. Why are you so happy all of the sudden? You do know what I was saying right?" He gasped, "Oh, please don't tell me I said something wrong."

Bakura laughed while patting him on the head. "No, you said everything just fine, I just…feel happy." It did feel good to laugh again. He had not had a reason to for a long time. "Well, let's go then."

D nodded and they began their journey to the ground floor. Before exiting the room, Bakura scooped up the notebook, not wanting anyone to read his personal conversation with Amane, or realize how close he had become with D. If anything, Bakura was hoping that it looked like he had kidnapped D in the end, so if by chance they were caught, the poor boy would not be reprimanded. For that man's idea of reprimand was but a sick and twisted form of child abuse. Bakura felt sick just thinking about how the boy had been treated his whole life. All of that would change though; he was putting what life he had left on the line for the child who did not seem to have a clue to his intentions. He did worry that what he was about to do would be too much of a shock on D, or that it would backfire entirely. Putting those thoughts aside as they hurried through the hallway, Bakura forced himself to just believe what he was about to do was the right thing, and that in order to be able to do it, he would have to believe in himself.

Halfway through the corridor, his pace slowed. His curiosity had burned as they had passed each door. Having not been out of his room for years, and barred from human contact when he had gathered enough courage and support to try escaping the second time, he had always wondered who or what resided in the rooms beside him. Stopping at the fourth door, he glanced through the small pane of glass into the dimly lit room. He heard D stop behind him, but continued to look inside the room even as he felt his pajamas being tugged in earnest.

The room looked empty, the bed disheveled, and there were strange brown markings against the walls. He did not initially know what to make of it. Even when he was being held captive, Bakura tried to keep his room as neat as possible when he could, just to have some consistency of his past life. This room was just a mess. The light that illuminated the room seemed to have been knocked behind the bed and a table, and was trying its best to shine through the fabric, although it failed miserably as the light only traveled so far before the darkness consumed it once again.

"Don't look in there!" He heard D exclaim from behind him. Continuing to gaze into the room, he felt around behind him to find the child and comfort him.

"Why not?" He asked as he felt his fingers brush against the child's forehead, "We'll be leaving soon, don't-aaAAAUGGGGGGGH!" Bakura fell backwards, barely missing the child on his descent. A person had peered at him with its one good eye. The other was still oozing out of its socket, mixing with the blood of what looked like self inflicted injuries. Bakura continued to gawk in horror at the face, which opened its mouth to reveal sharp layered teeth. The thing screamed at him, although it was muffled through the door. He heard scratching and clawing, and a sound of metal bending as the thing continued to scream at him, gnashing its teeth together in some sort of frenzy. Not wasting another moment to look, he clambered back up, roughly picking up the child, and ran the rest of the way to the door they had been heading for, slamming the door shut behind them once they had entered the stairwell. Trying to catch his breath and calm his heart, he set the boy down and leaned against a wall, still unsure of what he had seen.

D on the other hand, dusted himself off, and seemed annoyed more than anything. "I told you not to look in there," he chided, "we may have lost precious time now."

"What was that?" Bakura asked, glancing back at the closed door.

"That was Itsuki, a human male," D replied, scooting closer to him, glancing around to make sure no one else was around. "He is going to be discarded tomorrow. Initially, Father thought he was going to be a success, the first human to have modified genes to not only make them stronger, but last longer, so that few humans would have to be captive. The only problem is well, as you could see, the man went mad after a few treatments, and after the third one, there were serious defects. I remember Father cursing about him when he was tending to a bite wound. He had not intended for his teeth to become so sharp or to multiply like they did. If you want to know the truth," he muttered, again scooting a little closer to Bakura, "I am a little unnerved by that one."

"A little unnerved? Ha!" his hand sniggered, "You were about to piss your pants when emotional wreck over here fell back. Admit it."

D looked down at the hand hatefully, while Bakura just pat his shoulder and began to lead him up the stairs. He had never really gotten used to D's little companion, but from what he remembered (and that was a feat in itself, so he thought) his own parasite of a spirit had been about as pleasant. So Bakura could thankfully relate to unwelcomed guests, and the sooner he could teach D to ignore his snide remarks, the better.

They made their way up the stairs, Bakura's heart pounding harder each floor they reached, knowing in just a short time he would be free. He would finally be able to go home, or at least see what had become of it. By the final staircase it was all he could do to contain himself. The door to the ground floor was just five more stairs away. Turning to D, Bakura felt his mouth turn dry. In theory, escaping with him sounded easy enough, he was sure the boy would be more than willing to experience something new, something better, but who was he kidding? He was not a fighter; he doubted if he could even throw a punch at the moment, with his nerves as shot as they were.

"So, what's the plan?" He asked; his mind racing for possible ways of adding on D's escape.

"It's as simple as doing what I do best. I distract the guards, you run for it, and don't stop running. I don't know what is out there, but, I don't want this to have been all in vain." Looking up at him with sadness in his eyes, he added, "I'm going to miss you. You are my best friend."

It was settled. Bakura was now more determined than ever to bring D with him.

"So what am I then?" D's hand questioned as D propped the door open so Bakura would be able to see when he could make a run for the door.

"A disease," was his reply. Turning to Bakura, D sighed. "Be careful, okay?" Bakura could only smile and nod.

As D walked toward the double doors guarded by rather intimidating looking security, Bakura could not help but be annoyed. The same glass that had been used for his window when he first came to know D seemed to be the same one they used for the doors. He still could not see outside. All he saw was a bright glow that illuminated the immediate floor under it. Glancing around the part of the room he could see, he noticed that there were stairs yet again leading up on the left side that hung from suspension wires. He could also see part of a front desk, but he was unsure if anyone was in that area as the door he was hiding behind blocked his view. D would not have done this if someone was there, though, he was much too bright. Bakura tried to calm his nerves as the excitement of the thought of his freedom returned, threatening to make his legs give out before he could even leave. Concentrating on the conversation that D was having, Bakura prepared himself for, possibly, his final dash toward his old life.

"—Sorry but we can't chat right now, young Master, the security cameras are down, and we need make sure we stay here in case there are any intruders."

"Intruders? Who would dare try and come into my father's home?

"A moron, that's who; you'd be surprised at how many wanderers come here, but this seems like it would be someone with a brain. They somehow got into the system. They're still working on trying to get the bug out."

"Then how would the intruder be a moron? Wouldn't that imply he was moronic?"

Bakura watched as D, with a few simple words and curious remarks, managed to engage both guards into a heated debate on how obsolete the security system was. Taking it as his cue, as both were now facing D, who was right in front of the doors slowly side stepping into a corner so they would follow him, he darted out of the hallway with as much speed as he possibly could muster. As the guard closest to him turned to realize that someone was running at them and began to pull out his pistol, Bakura realized that there would be no choice but to run into him, as ducking would not allow him to open the door in time before he got shot. Still sprinting as fast as he could, he rammed into the guard, who fired into the air as they fell onto the marble floor. Hearing a heavy crack, Bakura realized the guard had hit his head on a marble bench, and quickly glanced around to look for his gun, lest the man fire at him again before passing out; unless he was already dead.

Finding the gun just in time to see the other guard shaking himself out of his surprise and pulling out his own gun, Bakura pulled the trigger, aiming for the guard's leg, which was only a few feet from him. He missed. The guard stopped, and began to laugh, as Bakura stood up shakily, unused to such exertion. The guard lifted his gun again to discard of what obviously was a pathetic attempt at an escape when the butt of the other pistol came into contact with his temple.

D stared in shock and awe at Bakura who, while barefooted and in pajamas, had taken out two fully armored guards. He supposed that it was true, that necessity was the mother of taking chances, and wondered if Mark Twain would have considered what the young man in front of him had done had been necessary. D did not anticipate what his friend was about to do next.

Glancing over at the guard who was now waking up from his meeting with a bench, Bakura took a few moments to catch his breath. Turning back to D, Bakura grabbed his wrist and pulled with all his strength. There was no chance he was leaving D behind now, and he did not want to take the chance that D would pull back, unsure of what Bakura was planning. Slamming into the door so it would open wide, Bakura bolted outside, dragging a very surprised D with him.

"What are you doing?!" the boy shouted, but Bakura paid little attention. He continued to run, ignoring the pain that the sun brought to his eyes, the debris that cut at his feet. He and D were free, and he wasn't about to allow the guards that had began to chase him stop him from going home. So taking a deep breath and holding onto the child's hand with all of his might, he ran.


	4. Unwelcomed Guests

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!…blah blah…I do not own Vampire Hunter D….blah de dah.

You should all know this by now!

O.o And I question if "more attention" is a good or bad thing.

Chapter Three: Unwelcomed Guests

Gasping for breath, Bakura collapsed, letting go of D's wrist as he fell to his knees. He did not know how far they had run, or if anyone was still chasing them, but his lungs burned and his legs ached to the point that they were shaking even as he slid to a sitting position. He was in no position to go any further at the moment. Looking at the poor child he dragged along, ignoring the fact that the sun seemed brighter than he remembered and that destruction that littered the surrounding area, he could not help but worry that how much harder it had been on the child if he had pushed himself this far.

D was breathing deeply, but more as if he had been on a light jog then a mad dash for Bakura's life. The child still looked tired, and his eyes were closed, but Bakura was happy to see that the boy looked far better off than he did. Glancing back at his own feet, he was surprised that they looked to be in such good condition due to the fact he knew he had stepped on more than one sharp thing on his way there. Forcing himself to stand up, wobbling as he straightened up, he surveyed the area in a baffled shock.

A battered roof and three walls were all that were left of what once looked like a toll booth. Three other small buildings beside it mirrored the destruction. The road that they stood on was cracked; small weeds, some dead and some that looked like they were attempting life riddled the small chasms that were in the concrete. Digging into the depths of his faded memory he found that he could recognize the area, and remembered the direction that one took to get to Domino City. Quickly looking around again to make sure that no one had chased them out this far, which in all honesty he was surprised they had not, he placed his hand on D's shoulder with a gentle touch, not wanting to cause him anymore alarm than he was feeling at the moment.

In truth, D was indeed feeling alarmed, and frightened. He had never exerted himself in such a manner outside, in fact, his father had specifically told him not to, as he had not been sure if it would affect him in a negative way. Just because he could walk outside did not mean he would function the same, or so his father had said. The sunlight was so bright, and he had not been outside for so long, he was silently panicking, and when Bakura touched his shoulder he could not help but flinch. Looking up at him, opening his eyes as slowly as he could so they could adjust to the light, he could not conceal his feelings any longer. He was only nine after all.

"What were you thinking?!" he exclaimed, wringing his hands.

"I know, I know," Bakura said softly, removing his hand from the child's shoulder, "I didn't tell you, I'm sorry. I wanted you to have a better life, a real life."

"Did you think of what might happen if I'm outside for too long?!" D shouted, "I'm not human you know…" Looking down, D focused his eyes on a pebble on the ground. He did not want to see the sun; he did not want to be in it. It was too warm and took him out of his comfort zone. He was so tired of being taken out of that zone.

"Are you feeling okay?" Bakura asked.

"No!" D shouted, tears budding from his eyes.

Bakura kneeled down, again placing his hands on the boy's shoulders. "What hurts?"

"I…nothing…" D sniffed and did not pull away when Bakura hugged him. Even though he had been the one to take him away from the home he knew for the past three years, D felt comforted by this man's embrace. He could feel a compassion that far surpassed his father's pat on the head. This person cared about him, even if he was a little naïve in some of his actions.

"It's okay," Bakura replied soothingly, "I know it's probably scary, but you are okay. Remember when you told me you could go out into the sunlight without much discomfort?"

D nodded, hiding his face under Bakura's arm, ashamed of himself.

"Well if that's the case, I'm sure that a little vitamin D isn't going to hurt you."

D quickly looked up at Bakura, who was grinning. "Vitamin D?" he asked.

"Yes, and vitamin D can't hurt D," Bakura said, patting his back.

D could not help himself, he began to laugh. He could not remember ever laughing so hard, but as his sides began to ache and he had to pull away to breathe better, he did not want to forget the moment, even if the joke had been bad, and partially unrealistic.

Bakura was also laughing, tears of mirth threatening to spill over. Seeing the boy smile brought his spirits up. It took away some of the fear of what to do next, as the more he thought about it, the more he realized that they were in bad shape. The highway they were on was deep in the countryside, a good two hours by car to get back to Domino City. Considering that they were forced to walk on foot, it would probably take much longer, possibly a day if they stopped to rest, or to eat. That in turn brought up the problem of what they were going to eat. Skipping a day without eating may have bothered him, but Bakura knew he could function just fine without it. D on the other hand…Bakura was not so sure that if he offered to feed him anything, whether it was regular food or blood that he would take it. The boy never seemed too pleased, after their friendship started, to hear that it was time for him to "eat". He seemed against eating overall, and Bakura was not sure if that was a good thing for a boy his age. None of that really mattered though, compared to the fact that someone could possibly be following them still. He wanted to get to his apartment as soon as possible, barricade them both inside, and figure out what to do in a more comforting environment, and that was if the apartment building was still intact.

Wiping his eyes, Bakura took a deep breath and looked again at D, who was wheezing, obviously unused to laughing so hard. It did not take long for the boy to catch is breath again, but when he did, he quickly grabbed Bakura's hand, as if there were a chance the young man might run away. When he smiled at D, the boy's lips turned upward, into his own little charming smile.

"Actually," D said, scooting closer to Bakura, "Being out in the sun for too long is bad for me, it's called Heat Syndrome."

"Heat Syndrome?" Bakura asked, worried.

"Yeah, from what I've deduced, it's like…a really, really bad heat stroke. I've had it only once, when I was five, that's when father decided I should stay inside and run some tests before I was allowed out again. He didn't want me to die, because a lot of dhampirs have a bad habit of getting sick like that, and not having the proper treatment, they die within an hour or so."

When the boy saw Bakura's horrified face his smile widened. "I feel fine though," he added, "I am Father's favorite, and considering I went five years in the sun without getting it, I might actually have a better chance this time."

"What is the 'appropriate treatment'?" Bakura inquired, now quickly hurrying D down the dilapidated and scarred countryside.

"Um…Being buried from the neck down in dirt from what I remember," he answered, snickering, "it seems sort of silly now that I think about it."

D's left hand seemed to want to say something, but held firmly in Bakura's own grip, he was unable to. Bakura glanced down at his hand, a little surprised when he felt the movement, but quickly dismissed it as he was concerned about more pressing matters. Maybe it had not been such a good idea to just pull a child out of what he was used to, if what he was used to had helped him fight a strange disease that Bakura had no idea how to handle. It did not matter now though, D was outside with him, and he would make sure that whatever happened, the child would always have a smile on his face. The one that he had seen had already disappeared, but the inquisitive look gave him hope. There was much to show the boy, even if most had been demolished. After all, D had not had much contact with the outside world.

For hours Bakura and D kept up a fast walking pace, not stopping to find anything to eat or drink, not that there was any to find at the moment anyway. The grass looked relatively new, the weak blades striving to be the height they had once been, and the sky promised nothing but sunshine throughout the day. Bakura tried to ignore the guilt that continuously bubbled up about his failure to realize the sun's effect on the boy. It was made a little easier to handle to watch the boy's awed expression, though. He seemed to be enjoying himself even as they hurried across the countryside.

"So, where are we going?" D asked after the sun had dipped further down the sky, now beating its way into their vision. He had his right hand placed right above his eyes to block most of the offending light as he resituated his left hand that was firmly grasped in Bakura's to a more comfortable position.

"Home," Bakura replied.

"Home?" D glanced up at him, curious. "Do you really think your home is still intact?"

Bakura looked down at the boy who shrugged apologetically. Sighing, he looked back up to realize that his hand had been covering a rather obvious detail on the horizon. He could make out a dark silhouette blocking some of the sun. Its shape was undeniably familiar to him even with a few chunks missing from it. Blinking a few times and rubbing his eyes in disbelief, he gazed at the building that he thought he would never see again.

"What do you know…" he said, half chuckling, half choking back a sob, "it still stands…"

Raising an eyebrow when they young man turned his face away, covering it with his hand. He truly enjoyed his company, but Bakura's emotional instability worried D sometimes. Tugging on his hand, D saw that Bakura was not crying, but laughing when he turned around. The mirth on the man's face confused the child even more.

"What is so funny?" D asked, looking around to see if there was something he was missing. Off in the distance he noticed a large shadow that pierced the land, surrounded by rubble and other smaller shadows. Looking back up, worried now that his friend had lost his mind, the boy took a step back. "What exactly is still standing?"

Bakura snickered, wiping a tear from his eye. "Oh…it is just a building."

"I can't see how you find that funny," the boy replied.

"It just belongs, or maybe belonged, to someone I knew. With his luck, he probably survived right along with the building, though, I would have loved to see how he got down…" Laughing again, Bakura fell, lying on the ground trying not to take in the dirt ridden air that puffed up around him as he gasped for it. Looking at the boy he stopped. "You must think I'm crazy."

"At this moment, yes," D answered, kneeling down beside him. "I don't get why you're laughing."

Bakura sat up, brushing off his back. "It belonged to someone named Kaiba Seto," he started, "Seto Kaiba for you, and well, he was always, um…he ran a company, and went to school with me and my friends."

"What?!" D exclaimed, his interest piqued, "but that means that he must have been young, because a stupid person wouldn't be able to run a business! How did he do it?"

"Well, he was unusually smart. He was the CEO of Kaiba Corporation, which was a gaming company. He loved games. He was constantly challenging Yugi to Duel Monsters, even after all that happened. It was probably due to the fact he had a hard time believing it all."

"All what happened?" D asked, now sitting beside him. They both had completely forgotten that they could have possibly been pursued.

"You know when I told you about that pendant that I used to have?"

"Oh, the one that housed a spirit that would take over your body, and try to kill your friends, or use them?"

"Yeah," Bakura said, surprised at how nonchalant the boy was when he said it, "He had a hard time believing in that, and since Yugi had one too, a spirit that would take control of him in hard times, he never tried to kill anybody that I know of though, and since Kaiba was constantly at odds with Yugi when it came to gaming…"

"Did he not believe that Yugi was being possessed?" D asked.

"Not quite. I think that he thought that Yugi was 'possessed' with confidence when it came to gaming."

"Oh, well that is dumb," he stated, "But why were you laughing? I still don't get it…"

"I guess I found it just a testament to how stubborn the guy was."

D blinked. "Oh, well, I guess that is kinda funny…"

"Speak for yourself," D's left hand snorted, and turned to Bakura. "I think you have a few screws loose, kid," he added, "but then again, I suppose being chased by his father is far more interesting than staying cooped up inside. I just hope you know what you're doing, I need this body just as much as he does."

Bakura's heartbeat quickened. Those last words almost frightened him more than the fact that they could be being followed. It also made him feel a little lonelier. "We should get going. I don't want to have to be walking around in the dark since I don't know what has changed since I've been gone." Getting up and continuing down the decrepit road to what was left of Domino City, he motioned for D to do the same.

Stuffing his left hand into his pocket, D ran to catch up with him. "Can I ask one more question?" He asked, glancing back at the rolling hills that were becoming more distant each step. After making sure that his hand had just been causing Bakura unnecessary worry, he looked back at the young man.

"Sure," Bakura replied, looking down at him. "You can ask me what ever you want, when ever you want. Don't ever be afraid to say something to me."

"Ok." D's face brightened, not into a smile, but enough that made Bakura smile. "How many of those pendants were there? I don't remember you ever telling me that."

"Seven," Bakura said, looking back toward the Kaiba Corp. building, "and not all of them were pendants. There was the Millennium Puzzle, that is the one Yugi had, the Millennium Ring, I had that one…"

"But I thought you said that they were pendants…how can a puzzle and a ring be a pendant?"

"The Puzzle was a pyramid that hung upside down, Yugi had to put it together and the Millennium Ring was really a pendant, I suppose it was called the Ring because of its shape, there was a thin pyramid shape within a ring like structure, and there were pointers that dangled from it."

"It sounds kind of funny looking," D mused.

"It was…beautiful, well, at least I thought so. Then again, my father is a curator for his own museum, so I've always been around ancient artifacts and have grown to appreciate them."

"How old were they?"

Bakura was more than welcome to hear D talk, as he rarely did for the most part. Even when they were in the compound together, most of their conversations were short, and they had sat in silence just appreciating each other's company, partly because they did not want to make anyone believe there was any comradery between them, and partly because they both were quiet people. "They were from Ancient Egypt, created by a ritual that required the death of an entire village."

"What?!" D exclaimed, startling Bakura, who was already a little confused. How had he known about that? He recalled Malik telling him what he had missed after Yugi told him, but he doubted that Malik had given him that bit of information. 'Did you sneak something in, Amane?' he wondered, bemused.

"Something along those lines," he said hurriedly, "but there was also the Millennium Tauk, which was a necklace that foretold the future that was carried by Isis, Malik's older sister, before she gave it to Yugi, the Millennium Scales which I believe weighed the soul, the Millennium Key, which opened the soul to the user, both of those I want to say were owned by someone called Shadi, but I don't remember much about him, Yugi and Malik met him, not me."

"What did yours and Yugi's do?" D asked.

"Yugi's was more of a symbol of unity, and all of the items had the ability to call out a dark realm where the wielders fought with monsters."

"Monsters?" D slowed his pace, "Were there monsters like me?"

"Don't be silly," Bakura answered, "You aren't a monster. When I get us home, if my deck is still in tack I will show you what they looked like. There was a card game based off of them."

"Oh, I suppose that is neat, but what did yours do? And did all of these items have spirits in them?"

Bakura sighed, recalling his darker half, "No, only Yugi and I had another me…"

"Another me?"

Bakura stopped, regretting how he had put it. "Yugi always called his spirit 'the other me' as they pretty much were the same, but just had different ways of reacting to situations. I usually called my spirit 'the voice' or 'that voice' not to any one in particular."

"Did you really not like him?" D asked, quickly glancing down at the hand in his pocket, "was he like…him?"

"Yes, and no, for both questions. I hate to say it, but I always felt a little out of the loop with my friends, so as horrible as he was, I still miss his presence. I do not miss not remembering things, or loosing complete control of my body, but he was like me. Not that I had homicidal tendencies, but I don't know; something about him being there felt right. And I still hate myself for missing him. He nearly killed my friends on more than one occasion."

"I don't hate you," D said, and was silent for a moment, thinking "I guess that I'm lucky then, he—" he motioned to the pocketed hand, "lives there only. I just have to hear him be annoying sometimes. But you are skirting my question, Bakura sama," he looked up, an expression that was far too serious for a boy his age on his face, "What did yours do?"

"It could trap a person's soul into an object, usually a doll. I remember him telling me that he could put a bit of his soul into something else to keep tabs on a situation as well. It also had the ability to find the other items with its pointers," Bakura answered, "but that is all I know about it. I have a feeling that it had a lot more power than what any one else saw in it though."

"Well it was yours, right? They had to choose you? So you might have known more about it than you thought."

Bakura shook his head, "Well it doesn't matter now; they are long gone. Now I believe that I haven't told you about the Millennium Eye that could see into people's minds, once owned by Pegasus J. Crawford, then found by me at the bottom of my sock drawer after he was found dead, having bled to death," he paused to watch the boy's face flicker with horror, and then calm into his more stoic expression, "And then the Millennium Rod, which could control someone's actions by the will of the holder. Malik had that one before giving it to Yugi. But remember that that is all over now, and had been for a good number of years before any of this happened." Motioning to the expanse of what used to be a bustling town just before the city, he realized that twilight had already set in, and it was now becoming too dark to see. They had to get to the city soon.

The walk to Domino City had taken a shorter amount of time than what Bakura expected, but he figured it had been due to them rarely stopping for anything, but he figured that it was close to ten o'clock by the time they reached the city limit, and D who had been such a good sport about everything, was now showing signs of fatigue. Bakura did not doubt that it was due to the fact that he usually would have been asleep during the day and since they had traveled during the day, the boy had not gotten proper rest. He just hoped that it would not affect the boy any more negatively than just being a little grumpy.

Blinking lazily, D gazed toward the ruins that had come into full view. It looked like at one point in time the city had housed millions of people, but all that remained now were a few buildings here and there, some near by and some off in the distance, and the pillar of stubbornness that was a harsh contrast to the rest of the demolished city. He wondered if anyone could live in that sort of a situation, and was just about to ask Bakura whether or not he thought anyone was alive when he saw a flicker of a dark shadow rounding the corner of a building, something held in their arms.

"Look!" D exclaimed, pointing to the figure. They were approximately two hundred meters away, so he had to point again for Bakura to notice something moving in the darkness in front of them. "I think it's a person!"

The figure stopped, the item in their hands seemingly pointing at them. Without thinking, both Bakura and D ran forward; Bakura for his joy of being home and the possibility of him not being the only survivor of the city, and D for the simple fact of meeting someone who lived outside. They had only a little way to go before they could make out the person when Bakura skid to a stop when he heard a shot ring out, rocks painfully digging into the already tender skin on his feet. Grabbing D and pulling him behind him, he gawked at the figure that stood in the shadows. They had just shot at them.

"Get out of here!" he heard their muffled shout. Bakura could feel D tense up and he worried that things had changed too much since he had been held hostage.

"Who are you?" Bakura asked, straining to make out the person.

"That is none of your business, we don't accept wanderers here! Get out of here!"

"I used to live here!" Bakura shouted back.

"Yeah, right! Please," the person's voice dropped, still projecting but not full of any of its previous malice, "Get out of here, I see you have a kid, and I don't want to have to hurt either of you. I can shoot you from here, heck, I could shoot you from where you two started running, but I didn't. So get out of here before I have to."

"Listen," Bakura started, holding D closer to him, "I used to live here three years ago, before this all happened! I was here when everything got blown up!"

"Where have you been then?"

"I…." Bakura stopped. He did not want to have to explain anything, lest they get chased off any quicker than they were, or worse, getting a face full of lead. "Listen, could you please just let us in?"

"Sorry, unless you have proof that you were here, I'm not allowed to let anyone in. It is a new procedure due to the fact of so many wanderers killing off the people in our city."

Bakura groaned, frustrated that things were not as smooth as he anticipated them to be. "I….competed in Battle City."

"Lots of people did," the person replied, "Do you have more proof?

"I was a semi-finalist."

The person seemed to stop all movement for a moment. Bakura wondered if he had said something to set them off, but he could not think of anything. He had been one, even if he did not remember anything but how much his arm hurt. The person reached under its cloak and pulled out something that he could not see. Tapping it against his leg a few times, quietly cursing whatever it was, a light flickered on, and was quickly swung towards them. D hid his face, burrowing it as far as he could into Bakura's back. Bakura figured that the confrontation had been too much for the tired boy, and felt pity for the child who was afraid of a beam of light from something he knew full well where it came from. The flashlight bobbed in the person's hand as they took one step forward. "You, what place did you come in?" Their muffled voice wavered, "Sorry, I can't see you from over here that well, I have to wear these protective goggles and all. Take ten steps forward when you answer me."

Bakura nodded, and held D to him as he began to walk. "I didn't get very far," he replied. "I went against Mutou Yugi in the first round and lost um…due to a…"

"Due to Osiris?" The person asked.

"Yeah, and then I don't know if you would know about it, but I passed out due to a rather nasty gash on my left arm, and I had been bleeding rather profusely. I could show you the sc—"

"Bakura kun?" The person's voice wavered as they said his name, "But we never…"

Suddenly it clicked. Even though it was rather muffled and now shaking as much as the child behind him was trying not to, he knew that voice. Tears sprung into his eyes, a happy disbelief washing over him.

"Yugi kun!" He exclaimed, as the shorter man ran toward him dropping the flashlight as he hugged him, accidentally wrapping the small boy into it with them. A small yelp could be heard from behind him, and Bakura was only too aware that D was not used to this type of greeting at all.

"Oh thank…thank…I don't know who to thank!" Yugi cried, tears streaming from under the protective goggles, and Bakura was not surprised that he had not recognized his friend sooner. Even with his own disheveled appearance, he looked decent compared to Yugi. While the young man had the same three toned hair in its messy fashion, his clothes were nothing compared to what he used to wear. Tattered, patched, and baggy, his cloak was obviously a dirty bed sheet. His jeans were a mess and no where near as tight as he used to wear his leather pants, and his shoes were full of holes covered by duct tape. What topped it all off was the gun he had reattached to his back after getting out his flashlight. Nothing about his appearance showed what the man was truly like except for the bright smile that stretched across his face at the sight of his old friend coming back from the dead. "Where have you been!?"

"I…" Bakura started, but stopped when D shyly removed his face from hiding, looking up at the man who had as strange of hair as Bakura's. Both men were silent as the boy came fully out into view, unintentionally commanding their attention.

"He saved my life." His quiet voice and sweet demeanor seemed to melt Yugi's heart instantly. "He has been trying to find me somewhere safe to live for a really long time."

Yugi looked up at Bakura in shock and disbelief. While they both looked as if they had been through a rough day or two, it did not seem that they were as fatigued as they should be. D himself almost looked as pristine as he had before he left running with Bakura, give or take a few dust marks on his silk black attire and a smudge or two on his face. Bakura was at a loss of what to say, unsure if he would help the situation any.

"Of course my dad wouldn't have any of that, so it's been sort or a recent development," the boy added, shrugging.

"You kidnapped this kid?" Yugi gasped, covering his mouth as he continued to stare at his friend.

"No!" Bakura shouted, but his guilt of not knowing the boy's weaknesses fully took over, "Yes, but I had to! His father was not a good man." D stood thoughtfully beside him for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"Was that where you've been? Why didn't you want to tell me?" Yugi asked, examining the boy from afar. His eyes holding a look that only D noticed he motioned for them to follow him.

"I didn't want you to think poorly of me," Bakura replied truthfully.

Yugi laughed, and Bakura smiled at the man. He did not want him to know the full truth for the child's safety, but he was glad to see that Yugi would not be quick to think ill of him. Following him into the city, making sure D was close to his side at all times, he looked at the destruction left from the war.

Many of the buildings that still stood had their windows boarded up, and not a flicker of light could be seen from inside. Some of the roads looked to be in a decent condition, but streets that once opened into others were blocked off by debris, and some looked like they had been intentional. Yugi climbed onto a fire escape of one building and quickly hopped over to the other side of one of these obstructions. Without much of a choice Bakura held D on his shoulders to help him up, and soon followed, banging his feet on the rusting metal as he hurried up, trying to keep D in his sights as the boy slid down the other side. Bakura did his best to pick his way through without injuring his feet further, but adorned new cuts by the time he reached the ground. Cursing the fact that he had not had the idea to find shoes along the way, he wobbled over to the other two as Yugi unlocked a door to a building that looked like it had once been a police station.

"Okay, you guys are going to have to stay here until morning. My shift is almost over, so I have to go back and trade with the next guy. No one comes here unless they go against the new laws, and that is a rarity, especially at night. I'll come back here for you later, so don't leave, understand?" Yugi turned swiftly and stared hard into Bakura's eyes, "I cannot stress this enough, Bakura kun," he started, and the other man could not remember the last time he had seen his friend like this, "Our community is small compared to the city it used to be. Most of us know each other by name, and all by our face. The chance of you running into someone who remembers you is slim to none, and no one has ever seen the boy before." He looked down and smiled at D who did not seem to know how to respond. After an awkward moment Yugi continued, "You know not everyone would have done what I did, and if it leaked out that I did this, you two and I would not be the only ones affected by this," he waved off Bakura's curious look, "I will tell you tomorrow. Here we are." Opening the door, he motioned them into a room that was far darker than the night that surrounded them. Bakura squinted, unable to see a few feet in front of him, but D could see just fine, taking a few steps into the building as Bakura lifted his hand toward him in protest.

"It's disgusting in here," D remarked, his nose crinkling. Living with his father in the compound, he had become used to a pristine cleanliness. He only had vague memories of being in his fathers "home", and even then it had been his duty to see that his room was in mint condition. What D saw now was the opposite; it seemed that whoever actually entered the place did nothing to pick up the rubble and trash on the floor. The air was choked with dust, and only D managed to stay upright walking further into the building. The light of Yugi's flashlight did nothing for the other two, and Bakura found himself falling flat on his face more than just a few times. By the time they reached one of the containment cells, Bakura had no interest in walking any further, and promptly sat down on the first bench he could feel out, without realizing D's vehement arm waving. Before the young man knew what had happened, the board beneath him had cracked, and he was now sitting at an odd angle on the floor, his left fingers crushed beneath the boards that he sat on. Standing up, his face betraying his annoyance, he rubbed his hand, trying to recover from the embarrassing fall. D looked at him concerned, but Yugi shined the flashlight on his friend's face and smiled.

"You haven't changed one bit in all these years, have you?" he asked, grinning.

For a moment D opened his mouth as if to say something but in the end joined Bakura in the cell without a word. Taking the young man's hand in his own, he held it tightly, feeling comforted by the gentle but firm pressure that was returned. Looking up at Bakura, he saw the young man's face cringe as if it pained him to hear those words from his friend. Curiosity ate at the young boy, and he completely forgot about his nervousness again.

"I wouldn't know really," Bakura said sheepishly, "but thank you for being the one to find us."

"It was no problem, really," Yugi said, waving his hand. D raised an eyebrow; it was obvious that it was a problem; otherwise they would not be hiding in such a place until morning. "Anything for an old friend. Now, I know it is kinda dark in here, but in the morning it will brighten up. Feel free to take any weapon you find lying around, a board, pipe, or a gun just in case things don't go right. There still might be one in the back somewhere. I'll be back to get you once I've talked to Kaiba kun."

Bakura's eyes widened, "Kaiba san is alive?"

"Yeah, both he and Mokuba made it. Thankfully he was there to calm down our half of the city, but I'll tell you more about that later. Now I really got to go. I'll see you soon!" Yugi waved, and Bakura returned the gesture. D remained silent, watching the man leave and lock the door behind him. The click seemed far louder to D than he thought possible.

"Bakura sama," he began, watching the young man struggle to find a decent spot to sit. Bakura's arm was stretched forward, and he was leaning down as if he was going to tie some invisible shoe. Patting the ground, he was finding nothing but more trash and concrete. D pulled him over to a clear spot, and allowed him to sit down and blindly examine his feet before he continued, "Bakura sama, I don't think that man likes me."

"Why do you think that?" Bakura asked, motioning for the boy to sit beside him. He had not thought the boy had seen him, so he was about to vocalize the offer when the boy plopped down beside him, resting his head on Bakura's slumped shoulder. The older man could not help but be amazed at how perceptive the boy was. Talking about it was one thing, but actually seeing it was another. He truly was a special child.

"The way he looked at me outside, and the fact he was talking to you, and not to the both of us," he replied.

"How did he look at you?" Bakura inquired, gently petting the boy's head, smoothing the tousled hair down. D sighed happily, although a smile did not grace his face. He had to admit that after all that had happened that day, he still felt content with Bakura, even if they were locked in a room again.

"He stared at me like I was some kind of monster or something," D said, shrugging.

"Are you sure that you aren't just overreacting? It was dark, and he had on goggles, he probably was just trying to see you."

D shrugged again. "Maybe."

Bakura pulled him into a hug. D's face reddened, again unsure of how to reply to such an action; but the comfort of his arms soon took over and D leaned against the man's chest, listening to his heart beat. One-two…one-two…the only thing that caused the boy any alarm was the almost silent flow of blood that traveled through Bakura's body. D did not wish to tell Bakura that he was hungry, he knew how the man felt about being treated as food, and it was not as if the boy had never had twenty four hours pass by without eating. His father had wanted to see his limits as well. So biting his lip, he refused to mention his hunger even after his hand had made a noise that sounded like a snicker.

Looking up when the man's heartbeat slowed, he could not help but smile. Bakura looked almost childlike as he slept. The man's head had sagged off to one side, his mouth partially open as he snored. It was not an offensive sound, and it only added to the youthful effect that sleep had on him. D returned to leaning against him, and although he was far more awake than he had been during the day, he closed his eyes, figuring it to be a better idea to follow Bakura's sleeping pattern, so as not to cause anyone to question anything, and drifted off to sleep.

As he fell into the darkness of his dreams, the last cohesive thought D mustered was the look that Yugi had given him while they had been outside. Through the grime, he recalled that the man had looked at him like he had recognized him, and that he had never had the intention of seeing him again. Had it been him though? Or had he glanced at the child in fear of seeing the other man for any longer than he had to? D shifted and muttered something under his breath, clinging to the older man for warmth.

Only the morning would tell.


	5. Dangers of a New World

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! I do not own Vampire Hunter D. But I am going on vacation!

I want to thank my constant readers for being so patient with me, I remember what it was like when I read fanfiction and had to wait for another chapter. I am going to be going on vacation, but I will try my best to get a head start on the next chapter so you won't have to wait so long. Here is a lil' present before I go.

Chapter Four: Dangers of a New World

"I knew he was acting strangely again!"

"Why did he put it back on?"

"Who knows, maybe 'he' made him do it…"

Darkness swirled around him as he listened to the voices. He knew the dialogue by heart, but he could not recall why. The voices were taking a sinister turn, and he wished he could see who was saying these things, but he felt weighed down, and he could not move to look around.

"Did you really want me gone? I did help you when you were alone…hell, if I remember one thing, it's being alone…"

Tears sprung into his eyes when he heard that voice take a wistful tone. That voice had done nothing but cause him pain, but, he had been there when his friends had not. He had been a comfort in his own sick, twisted way.

"I'm glad you killed him finally. He deserved to die."

"NO!" He screamed, reaching out into the hazy light, the weight falling away from his chest, "Amane, don't let him leave me too!!!"

Gasping for air, Bakura looked around wildly, seeing not the swirling darkness, but concrete walls in a dim light, and a young boy rubbing his eyes making tired and confused noises. Falling back against the concrete wall, his body began to deal him the aches and pains of sleeping in such a position for a long period of time. Rubbing his eyes and trying to still the overzealous beating of his heart, he tried to recall what he had been dreaming. Nothing had made sense in his dream, but he now realized he had been replaying the voices of his friends when he had possessed the Millennium Ring. He did not recall when he had heard those words coming from them, but he had a feeling it had probably had been a time when he had been slipping in and out of consciousness. He was alarmed by his reaction, though. What had even brought that up? Quickly glancing back at D, he smiled apologetically for waking him up. The boy gave him a bleary look.

"What about Amane?" He asked, yawning. D knew little about the girl, aside from the fact that she had been Bakura's sister who died in a traffic accident. He had overheard the young man cry out for her before, when he had been in delirium due to his father's experimentation, but had never bothered to ask more, as Bakura always seemed to be in a bad mood afterward. Being woken up so abruptly jarred his usual filter though, and before he could hold his tongue it had slipped out.

"Oh, it was nothing," Bakura said, eyeing his feet, surprised to see that small scrapes were all that he had left. It did not make sense, for the blood caked onto them should have came from far deeper gashes. Bringing one to his face and squinting in the dim light he added, "I just had a really weird dream."

"Was she in it?" D asked, digging a little further. The man had not reacted negatively, and the boy felt that the best time for asking may be finally there.

"No," Bakura replied, frowning. Standing up, he shifted his weight onto each leg, feeling the absence of last night's pain. "But then again maybe she was; I can't remember most of it."

"Oh," D said, realizing that that was all that was to come of that conversation. "What are you doing?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Well, I cut up my feet pretty bad last night when we were coming over here, and I know I did, because well, look at them," Bakura motioned to the dried blood, "there is no way it could have come from the little nicks that I have in my feet, but I can't find anything more substantial."

"Weird," D mumbled, quickly tearing his eyes away from him. The lack of a meal from the previous day made his mouth water even at the sight of dirt laden blood. He may have missed a meal or two before, but as he was so young it felt necessary to eat every day, even though his body could last weeks without a drop of blood. He was living with Bakura now though, so he silently told himself that he would eat what ever Bakura ate from now on. He was half human after all; he would just have to get over his other side. It would also be beneficial to them, since he did not want Bakura to be bombarded with strange questions. D already feared that his appearance would cause many to question him as it was.

After dealing with their bodies' morning necessities, to which Bakura found a relatively in shape and unused bathroom for, they both wandered around the building while they waited for Yugi's return. Morning light filtered in through the broken windows, and as they picked their way through the disarray left from when the ground shook, both Bakura and D admired the fact that the building had resisted the attack quite well. The surrounding buildings from what they could see, as Bakura figured it would be best if they were not seen at all at the moment so they continually rushed past the open windows, were mostly demolished. Some stores caved in by debris that had fallen at the time of the explosions, but some of the more enforced buildings stood tall, albeit the shattered windows. As they hurried past another window, Bakura caught sight of an apartment building still standing, and hoped his own apartment could be accounted for when they were allowed out and given a chance to look. This was not the only thing on his mind at the moment. Although D may not have known, not that Bakura wanted him to worry, he was thinking about how they would fit in. He had contemplated on how to feed the boy the night before just as he slipped out of consciousness, and aside from wondering how his feet mysteriously healed overnight, he had thought about it all morning. He was of course going to allow him to try whatever he liked, but if there came a time where it was necessary, Bakura was more than willing to sacrifice his blood for the boy's nourishment. He would just have to make sure no one was watching at the time. It would not only be odd on more than one instance, but he did not know if the city had dealt with those that had been the bane of his existence for the past three years. Quickly glancing at the boy whose mouth hung open slightly as he bent down to pick up an empty box of ammunition, he hoped they had not.

"What is this place?" D asked, peering into the empty box, and tossing it over his shoulder when nothing of interest was inside.

"It looks like it was once a small police station," Bakura answered.

"Oh," D said, "Is that what he meant by finding weapons?"

Bakura had to think for a moment to realize the boy had been talking about Yugi. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Well, if there was any of that stuff in here, then why wouldn't they come in and take it?" D asked, "It seems rather foolish to just leave a bunch of weapons for someone else to take."

Bakura laughed. "Let's just hope that they were. I don't want to think about what would happen if we had to run again with so many people chasing after us."

"Would you be able to shoot at them?" D inquired, peeking around the corner and into another room filled with more boxes.

Bakura stopped for a moment. "I really don't know," he answered after a short silence, "I'm just hoping that we don't have to find out."

D shrugged, picking up one of the boxes and shaking it. The box itself was heavy, and when shaken, clanked as if there were thousands of metal pieces inside. Opening it, D procured another box, and opened that one. Curious, he dumped out the contents at one of the counters that encircled the room.

"These are bullets, right?" D asked, picking one up and showing it to Bakura. Leaning down to get a better look at it, as the sun's beam did not reach the corner the boy stood in he nodded as he recognized the shape of the metal piece.

"Yes, they are bullets. Maybe there's a gun or two around here," he said thoughtfully, opening the cupboards above and below the counter. "If you find one, tell me."

"Okay," D replied, mimicking Bakura as they searched for a firearm, "Oh, Bakura? Could I ask you something?"

"Yes?" Bakura answered, believing the question to be one about food. He was readying a list of replies to comfort the boy when the child asked,

"If we have to run, is there any chance we could get something to cover my face and hands? If we can't, that's okay, the sun doesn't bother me that bad…but if we can, could we? It kind of hurts a little when the sun hits me."

Bakura smiled, and ruffled the boy's hair. "Of course we can, D kun," he replied, "and if we can't, then I will just let you have my shirt to block the sun for you."

D smiled back, "Thank you, Bakura sama."

Bakura was pleasantly surprised by the child's reaction. He was glad that the boy was opening up, and hoped that whatever caused him to shut himself up would disappear completely as he began his new life. "You're welcome," he replied, hoping that there would not be a reason that they would have to run again so soon.

As he was about to continue his search he noticed a dark object beside D's foot, and bent down to pick it up. D looked down inquisitively, and as the man stood up, the boy craned his head to get a better look at what he had in his hand. The grin on the young man's face made it obvious that it had been the item that they had been looking for.

"Well, this was convenient!" Bakura exclaimed, eyeing the handgun as he brought it into better light.

"Does it take these bullets?" D asked, offering the box to the man.

"I dunno," Bakura replied, checking over the gun. He recognized the safety and the trigger, but that was all he really knew about guns in general. He had never touched one before in his life before escaping from the compound. Pointing the weapon away from them, he pushed what looked like some sort of button on the side and the gun's clip fell onto the floor with a clatter. Picking it up, he pried a bullet from the clip and examined it next to a bullet from the box. "It looks like it." He pushed the bullet back into the clip and testing to see if it was full or not, attempted to load another bullet into it. It fit in with a click of metal on metal. "It must have not been full," he remarked after repeating the action two more times.

"Well you are certainly perceptive aren't you?"

Bakura glanced back to see D shoving his left hand into his pocket, looking up at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, that was rude of him," he said, offering Bakura his right hand.

"Ah, it's okay. If that is the worst thing that I'm ever told, then I'm a lucky person," Bakura replied, checking the safety before concealing it under his pants band and shirt. It shifted uncomfortably against his skin, and Bakura hoped that it would not slip out at an inconvenient time lest it give someone the wrong impression. Taking the boy's hand he handed him the box of bullets. "Since you have pockets, can you carry this?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah!" D exclaimed, taking the box and stuffing it into his pocket, not giving his hand a chance to speak as he did so. "So when do you think your friend is going to come?" the boy questioned, as they began to return to the cell they had been in for the night.

"I don't know," Bakura said, "hopefully he will be here soon." D nodded in agreement.

When they finally reached their destination, Bakura returned to his position on the floor, keeping an eye on the door as they continued to wait for Yugi to return. D sat beside the young man, leaning against his shoulder while thinking about the day before. It seemed like so much had happened already, and he felt an excited trepidation run through his body as he realized he was going to meet "normal people" for the first time. Most of the other humans he had met had been more than happy to help his father, just to gain immortality later on to become like him. They had been cowards in his eyes. They were feeding off of the strength of others for their own selfish gain. Bakura had never been like that. Every time they had taken him out of his holding room, he had thrashed, twisted, and fought all the way, refusing to bend to anyone's will but his own (whether Bakura remembered this or not, D did not know), and even when his father had made mention that he felt the young man would die as another failure, the man had somehow pulled through all of the starvation with his heart and soul still strong, still fighting. D admired this man's spirit above even his father's intelligence and years of experience. He did not care what anyone else said about him, even the man's own lack of self esteem. The more the boy thought about it, the more he could not wait to start his new life with this man by his side, heat syndrome or not. Somewhere deep down he knew Bakura would protect him.

When the door finally clicked open, it was D on his feet first, his acute hearing and quick reflexes trumping Bakura's even thought the young man had been watching the door intently for the past half hour. D eyed the Yugi warily as he stepped in. He had only traded but a sentence with him, but D had a strange feeling that he should be careful with the man. He held the threads of Bakura's fate and his own, and D needed to act as normal as possible so Yugi would not get any strange notions that something other than the fact his friend was still alive was going on. He was determined to become as human as possible, which meant he would have to try to watch his strength as much as divulging his expanding intelligence of the world.

"Well," Yugi began, as Bakura stood up. D took a few steps back to hide behind the young man's leg. D figured that he would need to retain the image he had initially created with this man, so although he was feeling more confident as he and Bakura had a better understanding of the situation, he would remain in his act of the withdrawn child. "It didn't go as well as I had hoped, but he vaguely remembers your name," D kept his eyes on Yugi's even though he was not looking at him, realizing that he was withholding some information, "he wants to see you, just to make sure you are the person you are claiming to be."

"What happens if he doesn't remember me? And what about him?" Bakura asked, motioning to D as he spoke. Yugi looked down, his face showing discomfort at the question. "Yugi-kun, you did tell him about _him_, right?"

D's head snapped upwards toward Bakura. It was odd to be referred to as that, as the only person he had ever heard being called that in such a way was his father. Looking back toward Yugi, he hoped that he would not have to see that man again for some time. The thought of a peaceful existence with no experimentation was just too appealing.

"Listen!" Yugi cried, surprising D and making Bakura's eyes narrow with its abruptness, "I did, but listen to me Bakura kun!" he stopped for a moment and sighed, "As it stands right now, Kaiba kun isn't so sure about adding anyone right now, period! It was thanks to Mokuba that he even toyed with the idea that he knew you. You are going to have to convince him to let you stay—"

"So what, exactly, are you saying?" Bakura asked, cutting in, "Are you of all people, Yugi kun, telling me that I need to ditch the kid?" D was surprised to hear how callous his words were. Bakura had a tendency to be very polite, unless being dragged from a room against his will, but then again who would be polite then?

Yugi shifted uncomfortably yet again. "I wouldn't tell you that, Bakura kun," he said, "I'm just warning you that you are going to have to have quite the silver tongue for him to consider letting the boy live here."

"I'll do whatever I have to."

The resolve in Bakura's voice visibly alarmed Yugi. The man had known Bakura to be this way, but he had never felt fear toward his friend before. There was something in the young man's eyes that made Yugi wonder, and D watched as Yugi's eyes traveled to Bakura's chest. It seemed as if he was looking for some invisible object, or item. Bakura's own eyes followed Yugi's gaze and smiled. It was not the comforting one that D had become accustomed to, and it worried him.

"No, Yugi kun," he said softly, bringing the hand that was not holding D close to him up to his chest. "No, he is very much gone, you saw to that." His brown eyes pierced into Yugi's deep purple ones, "As is yours, unless you've been lying all of these years."

"I haven't!" Yugi's voice was shrill, and D began to wonder if he should be stepping away from the man who held him so close. Was it for comfort as he had thought before? He mentally shook his head. Bakura would never hurt him, they were friends.

"But he and that man were supposedly friends at one point in time," a voice whispered, and D glared down at his hand.

"Shut up," he hissed.

"I haven't," Yugi repeated, raising his hands as if surrendering, "Why would I? He was one of the dearest people to me. Why would I lie?"

Bakura watched his face for any changes, and when he saw none in his friend's face his own softened. "I'm sorry, but not only being told that I might have to argue my way into living in my apartment, but being silently interrogated that I might still have one of those things got to me."

"I don't blame you," Yugi said, sighing. He allowed his arms to drop and turned around to face outside, "It's been hard Bakura. Over here it is now difficult to trust even our neighbors; we had to kick a family out last week…" Both Bakura and D noticed tears forming in Yugi's eyes. "They tried to threaten Kaiba kun's life. I know that doesn't seem much to you, but he was the reason that this city was able to stabilize in some way right after the war. He hasn't changed too much, but he did this for us. I'm not so foolish to think that he didn't have his own agenda, Kaiba kun has always had that," he turned to Bakura and smiled, "He hasn't changed much at all, and neither have you. You look almost the same as I remember you three years ago when we were celebrating your birthday, and if it wasn't for the way you reacted just now, I would have said you were the same in your personality, but anyway…

Kaiba was the one who brought all of us together again. He had been in his office at the time of the explosion, but thankfully it was far enough away to shatter just most of the glass in his office and knock a few concrete slabs off of the building. After he made sure that Mokuba was safe, he waited for the commotion to die down, and gave us all orders via any working television system. Some are still barely in order now, but we don't have enough people to man the power lines, and aside from small bartering with the neighboring cities, they wouldn't share power with us even if they could. We are the only ones up and running like what it almost used to be, and those things might die out in another year or two. Anyway, I remember waking up to his voice and trying to look for you under the rubble beside me while trying to climb out. He told all of the ones who were awake to listen, and listen well."

Bakura could already hear Kaiba's deep, business like voice booming out orders in his usual fashion, and he pulled D closer to him still, wondering if he could move something so unmovable.

"'Don't go all day about it,' he said, 'but find the people that are still alive and help them into safer places. Stay away from buildings that look unsafe, if there are none nearby but you can still hear me, find them and bring them to the center of the city. We will aid those who cannot hear us later.' It sounds bad, but in truth as the years went by we all realized that those in the city's center had been the safest. Most of the buildings further away had been damaged beyond repair, and there appeared to be no survivors," Yugi raised a finger as Bakura opened his mouth, "that is not to say we aren't still looking, but as I said before, we aren't too keen on newcomers anymore. Our supplies have diminished, and those who have come in, claiming they lived in Domino, or just coming in good faith…well most ended up trying to cause a "revolution" or stole supplies and were on their way again." Motioning for the two to follow, Yugi added, "The rest I'm sure you'll see or hear about around here. The bottom line is, and pardon the way I say it, but Kaiba kun saved our asses that day. The city would have probably degenerated into nothing short of post apocalyptic anarchy."

Bakura chuckled at this. "I promise not to do anything physical Yugi kun, if that is what you are getting at. But I am not going to back down when it comes to returning to my home. I have to look after D and myself too you know."

"Dee?" Yugi inquired.

"No, more like the letter D," D replied quietly. Yugi looked down at the boy and for the first time since laying eyes upon the shorter man, he felt some sort of acceptance now.

"So your name is D?" Yugi asked, kneeling down to talk to him. D watched him for a moment before nodding. "That is a very interesting name. I'm sorry that we haven't been introduced properly, but things are a bit complicated right now. I'm Yugi."

"I know," D replied, "Bakura talked about you a lot before we came here."

"Oh really? And what did he say about me?" Yugi glanced up at Bakura who gave him a half hearted smile.

"You like games like he does, and that you used to play together a lot before…" D stopped himself. He was going to answer "before the Millennium Item thing really got going" but he did not want this man to know how much he knew already about such things. He might be seen as a danger, as a normal "child" would easily let something like that slip.

"Before?" Yugi asked.

"The explosion…" D replied.

"But we have time for all of this later," Bakura said, walking toward the door so Yugi would have to move and D would have to follow, "first we need to secure a place here."

"Right!" Yugi said enthusiastically, "and after that, we can catch up! I have so much to tell you, and you need to visit the Kame Game shop as soon as possible!"

"Of course!" Bakura replied, brightening. D looked between the both of them and wondered if they were faking niceties or actually completely forgetting about how they were almost at each other's throats a moment ago. Well at least he thought Bakura had been.

"What did I get myself into?" D mused as they walked toward the tower known as Kaiba Corp.

The walk there was uneventful. It seemed that the remains of the city did not begin to come to life until later on, although the sun was now a little higher in the sky. Bakura guessed that it was around six o'clock. As they neared the largest building around, both Bakura and D noticed that there were some television screens still attached to the sides of some half dilapidated buildings. A few looked beyond repair, but the others looked like they might still have some use. This was what Yugi had been talking about. Bakura stared up in awe of what remained of the city, surprised that no one was wandering the streets. He remembered once needing to run to the store for some milk on a weekend early in the morning because his father was returning home, and seeing crowds as early as four thirty in the morning. Now the streets were empty, some light poles missing from their areas, some bent in some strange frozen dance. Bakura was happy to notice that the streets closer to the middle of the city were clean, so his feet did not receive the punishment that they had taken the night before. He only wished that he had been able to clean up before coming, but D seemed clean enough, and that was not the point of the meeting. This was about finding a place for this young boy to live in peace. He could care less what happened to him so long as the boy was safe and happy.

Yugi stopped a few feet away from the door and motioned them to stay there. Bakura felt D's grip tighten around his hand again, returned a soft but firm squeeze. The boy would have nothing to be afraid of if Bakura could muster up the courage to stand up against such a powerful man. 'Amane, help me,' he thought as Yugi returned and waved for them to come in.

"Bakura sama?" D half whispered as they walked inside. Bakura could feel the cool tile on his feet, and wondered as he looked at the building, noticing few if any blemishes present, if he would be able to move someone like Kaiba. The war had not.

"Yes?" he answered, giving a small wave to what seemed like a guard in jeans and casual top covered by security armor. The guard did not return the gesture, but eyed him carefully. Bakura hoped D would not be able to tell that he was nervous. He willed his hands to not shake, or become clammy.

"We are going to be okay, right?"

Bakura glanced down at the boy who had not made a single complaint as they had walked through the sun, nor had spoken a single word to Yugi about all he knew about the Millennium Items, and his heart went out to him. He had been so brave so far, and had been more of a help than he would have ever asked him to.

"Yes, we will," Bakura said, hoping his voice had the confidence he did not. It seemed to work as D gave him a small smile and began watching Yugi as they ascended the stairs.

Kaiba Seto's office was still the one near the very top (Bakura wondered if it was such a good idea, as the building as pristine it was, still had quite a shaking) and when Yugi knocked on the door, Bakura felt his stomach clench. 'Stay calm,' he told himself, 'for D's sake, stay calm.' There was a muffled reply and Yugi opened the door and motioned them to go in. Trying to steady his breathing, Bakura gripped D's hand harder than he intended and walked into the room to face the man now fully in charge of the city that was once called Domino.

Yugi had been right, Kaiba had hardly changed since the last time he had seen him. His face was a little more defined, and he seemed to be a few inches taller, but other than that, he had the same haircut and the same piercing blue eyes. That was not entirely true though, as Bakura noted when he took a better look at Kaiba's right eye. Within the deep blue was a streak of lighter blue, which seemed to reflect the light a little more. The man before him (for as Bakura thought, he was far more a man than either he or Yugi could ever hope to become) gave a snide grin as he noticed him staring straight into that eye.

"I am well aware that the eye you are so intent on staring at is different," Kaiba stated, his voice as cool and smooth as it had ever been. Bakura quickly looked at the other eye which only made the man's grin widen. "But that is not why you are here," he continued, "You are here because I supposedly know you. Make me believe it."

The command was so abrupt; Bakura could only stand there silent for a moment, trying to comprehend what had been said to him. "I," he began after a while, clearing his throat, "I went to school with you."

Kaiba considered him for a moment before bursting into laughter. D clutched Bakura's side, partially hiding his face. This man made D feel very uncomfortable, and if he was the one who determined whether or not they belonged here, he had a feeling that they should leave, before they were disappointed from being denied a home. "Well, I don't believe I have ever heard that before," Kaiba snorted, sarcasm dripping from his voice, "Are you seriously interested in staying here? If not, if that is the best you can do, leave now, and stop wasting my time."

"I sat next to Jounochi, I hung out with Yugi!" Bakura started, allowing any miniscule bit of information that he might have to jog this man's memory come forth in a torrent, "I was in Battle City—"

"Yes, and so were a good amount of third rate duelists that have come here saying similar things, only to have ripped this city off. I will not have that happen again," Kaiba interrupted, but Bakura persisted.

"My father was the curator for the Domino City Museum!" he exclaimed.

"I had nothing to do with the museum, aside—"

"Aside from Isis talking to you about your destiny and giving you Obelisk which you lost to Yugi while I was missing from the Battle City blimp!" Bakura watched as Kaiba became physically surprised at this bit of information, but continued on anyway, his heart beating with excitement. 'I almost have him already!' he thought.

"Malik and I snuck into your tournament, with different reasons of course, but I was that one who passed out after the duel between me and Yugi, the first one that he pulled out Osiris," Bakura added, seeing the man's eyes widen only slightly, but enough to prove that he was on the right track. "You didn't want to land the blimp so you continued the tournament, lost," Bakura again watched as the man's eye twitched in disgust, "and after that I went with Yugi and everyone to Egypt. Also, if I may backtrack, you were in a coma when I first arrived as a transfer student to Domino High, so you wouldn't really remember me because you weren't there due to Yugi mind crushing you!" Bakura finished, taking a deep breath in the end, feeling jittery and full of energy. It was an odd feeling for him.

"Mind crush?!" Kaiba flashed him and Yugi a fierce glare.

"Yes," Bakura said, "Mind crush. You were gone, locked in your own mind to figure out what horrible things you had done to deserve such punishment. Because you had deserved it and you know it Kaiba san."

Kaiba looked livid for a moment. Then his eyes, which had been so turbulent, calmed again and became ice. "So, saying I believe you, where exactly do you live?" He asked, his lips returning to his snide grin.

Bakura paused for a moment, feeling the fear rush out of him, and a form of confidence he never had felt before flow in, and then recited his address clearly. No ums, no hang ons. This had been far too easy. Leave it to the magic Kaiba had difficulty believing in to save his and D's behinds. Bakura could feel D's grip on him loosen, and he was glad for once. During that short time he had felt his clothes become slightly tighter under the waistline, and it had disturbed him as much as excited him. He was thankful that his shirt covered down to mid thigh, and that he was half leaning over a chair to speak to Kaiba (the man had never offered them a seat), but it scared him. It was the fear that he saw in Kaiba's eyes as he spoke that had made him feel this way. He had been frightened, brought back to a place he had never wanted to go, and it was thanks to Bakura that he was reminded of that hell. The false tough guy smile did not help Bakura either in this other feeling. 'I got you,' he thought after reciting his address, 'I got you and you know it, so you're trying to hide it. Well, hide it all you want, Kaiba san, because I have seen your demons, your weakness, your dependence on being the greatest, and I can make you fall. I will make you fall.' He stopped that thought there, and felt the blood drain from his face as he realized exactly what he wanted to do. He wanted to hurt Kaiba, and that had never been a thought in his head before. He knew he also wanted to hurt Yugi, and if given the chance he would. They would both pay, Kaiba for being such a forgetful prick who had never bothered to help him when he needed a doctor (forget that he survived, that had been thanks to his other half) and now he was trying to weasel his way out of helping him again, and Yugi…for leaving him in the dark. Bakura mentally shook his head. No, Yugi had never left him in the dark, had he? Sure there were things he did not know, things that would probably be better not known, but surely his friend had his reasons.

'What reasons?' he heard a voice in his head ask, 'What would the point be in hiding the fact that Kaiba would more than likely not allow the boy to stay. I bet he told Yugi that the boy couldn't stay, and Yugi was hiding that little tidbit of information.'

Bakura froze when hearing that voice. It could not be. Had Yugi been right to look at him like he did earlier this morning? No, he was gone, he was, which was worse. This was all him.

'What is wrong with me, Amane?' he asked, begging for an answer, but his head seemed clear of voices now, 'what did those bastards do to me to make me like _him_?! To make me want to turn against the one who saved my friend's life as well as my friend!?'

"Well?" he heard Kaiba's voice say in a rather annoyed tone. Bakura snapped out of his strange dilemma and saw D sitting down in one of the chairs, Kaiba motioning for Bakura to sit in the one he was behind of. Bakura did this willingly, thanking whatever god or gods there were that there was no trace of what might have been below his waist band any longer. Now not feeling so confident, but feeling more afraid of himself than ever, he listened to Kaiba.

"So is he yours?" Kaiba asked, motioning to D. D began to shake his head before casually flipping his hair over his shoulder, hiding his reply. If there were questions, Bakura needed to answer them. This D knew.

"In a sense yes," Bakura replied, starting slow so he could regain his composure, "He is nine years old, so I would have had to have been—"

"Approximately thirteen years old, go on," Kaiba stated, waving his hand.

"Yeah," Bakura said lamely, "I am what you could say his legal guardian, if that counts for anything anymore."

"I see," Kaiba said, his blue eyes closing as he brushed a piece of his brown hair out of his face, "Yugi, why didn't you tell me that when you came here?"

"I didn't know, Kaiba kun," Yugi replied a little sheepishly. He glanced over at Bakura, alarmed at what to him would have been a blatant lie. Bakura only smiled, and another thought burst into his head before he could quiet it.

'I knew it. He had said D couldn't stay.'

He mentally shushed it so it would say no more and turned back to Kaiba, who was deep in thought. "So what is his name?" Kaiba asked.

"D, like the English letter," Bakura replied.

"D is it?" Kaiba asked, raising his eyebrow, "Who names their child D?"

"A really unimaginative family," D replied, coming to Bakura's rescue, "I had a brother named A and a sister named B. Funny isn't it?"

Bakura looked down at the boy, a little bit of shock mixed in with pride. It was hard for him not to laugh, because he knew that out of what could be called D's siblings, few if any actually had names aside from Test Subject insert number here. It was sad, but at that moment it seemed to be hilarious.

"Oh really?" Kaiba asked, a genuine smile forming on his lips, "so who was named C?"

"Our dog," D added without missing a beat.

With that, both Bakura and Yugi were stunned to see Kaiba give a bona fide smile, and laughed. This made them a little frightened at how un-Kaiba like it was, but Bakura was happy to see that D could worm his way into another heart so quickly, especially one so vital. It made Bakura's fears of him failure fall away, and any worries of his mental state disappear completely. This was who he needed to work for. This boy was now his everything. He needed to be there for him.

There was a knock on the door and all four in the room turned to look. Without waiting for an invitation, the door swung open to reveal Kaiba Mokuba. Bakura was amazed at the changes that had taken place with him. His black hair was still long, but he was nearly the height Kaiba had been at his age. His eyes still had the same warmth, but they were eyes of a true teenager now, and one that had mastered the ways of persuasion.

"Nii sama," he said accusingly, "You promised to wait for me."

Kaiba smiled and motioned for his younger brother to come inside. "Does it really matter, Mokuba, when it ended up going your way already?"

Mokuba's face brightened. "Good!" he exclaimed, sauntering into the office with the full swagger of someone in charge, "I thought I was going to have to remind you of how lucky you were he didn't press charges when you hadn't taken him to the hospital when he needed it during Battle City."

"In a sense, I did," Bakura responded, smiling at the teen who patted him on the shoulder in return.

"Well, I'm surprised he forgot about you in all honesty," Mokuba replied, "You were one of the weird ones."

"I would have to say all of us had our own little quirks," Yugi added.

"So this is the kiddo Yugi was talking about. I see what you mean, he's a cutie. Couldn't take my title though, could he Nii sama?"

"Never, Mokuba," Kaiba said offhandedly, "Now the two of you are on a trial basis," he motioned to Bakura and D, "You may go to your apartment, it is rather far from the core of this city, but it is still ours for the moment. I expect this boy D to be at the school that is set up by tomorrow so we can gauge his intelligence and place him in the appropriate class. You will be given your own assignment, and will be paid accordingly with the rations necessary for one adult and one child to live on. We will supply you clothing, Bakura, as it would seem you are lacking, but don't expect it to be free, or brand new."

"I have no money," Bakura cut in, but Kaiba waved his hand for him to be silent.

"Today, you will help the group that gathers rations; tomorrow we will give you a more permanent job. This should take care of payment." Bakura noticed Yugi's face drop at the mention of his first job, and Mokuba looked a little wary.

"Nii sama, we can't just expect him to be ready to do something like that, I mean, we have lost some of the ones who have been doing it for months recently."

"I'm sure if he was Yugi's friend, he'll be fine," Kaiba replied, brushing off his brother's worry.

"Um," Bakura looked between Kaiba and D, "What about D kun?"

"I will give you one hour after returning home to get him comfortable. There will be a guard to protect him as you work today; we will have something set up for you later. We can't send him to the daycare just yet as they need a little time in advance to make room for him."

"Oh…" Bakura looked down at D who looked a little nervous, "He really is a very shy boy, and is a bit…sensitive to the sun…"

"Sensitive to the sun?"

"Yeah, he has a tendency to break out into a rash if he stays in it for long periods of time," Bakura lied, "That is why he is covered the way he is."

"I see," Kaiba mused, "We'll figure something out. Just get to your home quickly, before anyone sees you. I have to make an announcement so the morons won't try to kill you."

Bakura and D stood up. "Thank you for everything," Bakura said.

"Yes, thank you very much; you have no idea how much this means to us," D added.

"I'm sure I don't," Kaiba replied dryly, "Mokuba, please take one of the security guards and escort them to their residence."

"Okay, Nii sama!" Mokuba exclaimed, still forever obedient to Kaiba's whim.

"And Yugi, enjoy your day off."

"Thank you, Kaiba kun," Yugi said, although it seemed a little half hearted to Bakura.

"Now go. I have things to do. It isn't like this city could still be run with anyone else in charge."

So they left Kaiba's office, D once again holding Bakura's hand for comfort, while Bakura reflected on the meeting. He still had one burning question to ask. He figured he would just ask Mokuba on their way home.

Thank goodness they were finally home.


	6. Fitting In

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! I do not own Vampire Hunter D. Nor do I own any of the rights to the trading card game. I own nothing of that sort…I just own the little ideas that roam in my head.

Chapter Five: Fitting In

Now that Bakura felt that a home was secured and that they were safe for the time being, he realized something he had not noticed ever since he had freed D and himself from the clutches of a madman. He was cold.

It made sense when he thought about it. It was January, and although there was not a cloud in the sky and the ground was as dry as it could have ever been, it did not mean that it was not still winter. Now that he did not have another adrenaline jolt swimming through his body, and he was not so fixated on one thing, he could notice the world around him better; and it was very cold. His bare feet ached as they touched cold pavement, and he tried not to shiver as a light wind seemed to ignore his clothing, causing goosebumps to form where ever its cold fingers could reach. 'How was it that I didn't notice this before?' he wondered as the passed by a store that looked well maintained for something that had to face an explosion that blew nearly half of the city away.

D's breath made little puffs of white mist as he exhaled, and as he walked alongside Bakura, he tried to stay as near as to the man's body as he could. His face showed no discomfort, but the boy was indeed cold as well. The child looked up toward his friend, and the young man looked down at him, smiling. D could not form his lips into the smile he would have liked to return. Now that everything was getting underway, now that Bakura had actually gotten them a place to stay, to live, he was more worried than ever. A new home was more fear inducing than if he and Bakura had just stayed out in that massive expanse called a countryside. That did not stop him from trying though. This man had helped him, this he knew, and he should be grateful that this new life did not entail getting tested on for the rest of his life. So he tried, his lips forming a half grin, half grimace on his face.

Bakura laughed quietly, and although he had not understood what the boy had been trying to do, it had helped the younger one's attempt turn into an actual grin. D enjoyed it when his friend laughed. He had rarely heard it from anyone during the few years he had lived.

"I know it's cold," Bakura whispered, low enough that no one else noticed, but D heard it clearly, "But we will be home soon."

"I'm not worried about that," D answered quickly, "But I'll tell you when we get…home." The word felt strange in his mouth, as if he was lying when he did not want to. He was not though. Home was now with Bakura, and it felt more like home than that bunker of a place had ever felt just holding the man's hand. He would just have to get used to the idea.

"Oh, okay," Bakura said, nodding in understanding and visibly happy that the boy had replied with the word home. Raising his voice to a regular decibel he asked, "Mokuba kun, why is no one awake? How come we aren't seeing anyone?"

"Well, I'd say it's a good thing no one is out right now," Mokuba replied, "If I remember you correctly, you were about as shy as Yugi was back then. I doubt it if you'd like to be bombarded by people and like my brother said, most aren't that smart. Even with my being here, anyone who could reach for a projectile would probably try to kill you with it."

"Has it really gotten that bad?" Bakura inquired, shocked.

Mokuba looked back at him in disbelief, "I don't know what hidey hole you've been living in, but it has been hell over here. This crackdown on who can and can't live here is pretty new, and I for one am glad my brother started it. Four months ago some group of…pardon my language, assholes wormed their way in because Nii sama actually felt bad for them. They seemed like good enough people, and Nii sama figured that it would be necessary to expand again, so they lived here for about two months. Then out of nowhere, some other group of idiots appeared out of nowhere, overwhelmed our border patrol, and those two groups stole a good portion of our rations, and killed a good portion of our residents before hightailing it out of here."

"So they were working together?" Bakura asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well duh, but we didn't know that at the time. We had been living in a sort of peaceful existence up until then. The patrol at our border could have been called mediocre at best since we figured that most of the survivors of our city would have been already with us, or would be willing to cooperate to get in. You guys came in from the east, and as you could see, that part of Domino is completely deserted. We are the core in a sense, so we figured that we would be the safest, since our only true unprotected side was the east, and we figured that since it was in such a mess, no one would attempt to come from that side in attack."

"You were wrong," D chimed in, nonchalant.

"Yeah, we were," Mokuba said, now truly noticing the boy, "Figures they came from that side, looking meek and helpless, only to relay the message out somehow so they were fully able to ambush us. Nii sama was so angry that day, I don't think I could ever forget the look on his face," he looked down at his feet, "It kind of reminded me of the days before Death-T…"

"Death-T?" D asked, unable to hold the question back.

"Don't worry about it kiddo," Mokuba said, "Something that happened YEARS ago, and doesn't really matter anymore. Anyway, Domino North has been paranoid ever since, so relations with them are a bit strained. I felt I should warn you, since your apartment falls on unclaimed property. This will fully make it ours, but for your safety you may see a few guards here and there to keep it that way."

"How exactly will it make it 'ours'," Bakura questioned, "They could just take it as a threat." He had to ask this question, even though it scared him to even think about it. He had D to protect and he did not want anything to go wrong.

"No, whoever truly lived there gets first dibs; that is what our little peace treaty goes by. We can only hope they follow through with it though. If you had come in from their side, you would have gotten that piece of land for them. All of this is neither here nor there though, you are safe, and will be safe. I was just warning you that you might see some guards around, so don't be scared."

"I take it that since there is a 'Domino North' there is a 'South' and 'West' one too?"

"Yep! Like I said, we are well protected since those sides are covered."

"What makes them different from this Domino?" D inquired, "Didn't they all come from the same city?"

"The city was huge, kid, huge before all this happened," Mokuba said, motioning to the partially demolished buildings that they passed. They were in pretty good condition; some even looked more intact than the area around Kaiba Corp. itself. "And I'm not going to lie; some people just didn't want to be under my Nii sama's watchful eye. So each side, aside from the east of course, agreed that they would keep the center safe, so long as we aided them with items they needed since we had most of the department stores and stuff. We aren't a complete unit, this my Nii sama was trying to do by letting people in and working with the heads of the other Domino Cities, but we still try to operate as close as possible to it. It benefits all of us in the end. We just refer to everyone like that because it is their request."

"So are we Domino Central?" D asked, emboldened, and Mokuba shook his head.

"No, but it is a good deduction," he replied, "We got to retain Domino City."

Bakura nodded, but he posed his unanswered question again, "So why is no one awake?"

"Because we imposed a curfew to keep a better eye on them all. We wake them up, and we tell them when it is time to hit the lights. They didn't like it at first, but now they seem to enjoy the extra sleep, and the protection it gives. Only patrol is allowed out at these times. That or Nii sama, but he doesn't leave his office unless he has to."

"Well that didn't change," Bakura said, and Mokuba laughed.

"No, you are right, it didn't."

"Has Yugi always been patrolling the outskirts of the city?" Bakura asked, suddenly struck with the thought, "It doesn't seem like his type of deal."

"No," Mokuba replied, "That was thanks to the lack of patrol due to the ambush. When I say we lost them, we lost them. Most died," Bakura tried not to gasp at the thought, "So Yugi ended up getting the job. He actually dealt with a lot of the traders before, well, he still does. He had an office in Kaiba Corp, and worked directly under my Nii sama. This was all because of how much he knew, since he helped his grandpa out at the store, but I personally thought he should have been in charge of patrol all along. He is a really good strategist. Not as good as Nii sama of course," he added quickly, and Bakura had to stifle a laugh. Mokuba still had his brother on a pedestal that was for sure. "But he would have done the job better than the other moron. Nii sama didn't have time to look at all of the things that guy did, and if he had, he would have probably sent more people to protect the east."

"So I take it you guys recently found out that the east was poorly protected?" Bakura said.

"Kinda. We knew it was less protected, but we didn't realize how poorly those who were there were trained. It was as if that was their 'practice training' area. If Yugi had been in charge, none of that would have happened, and if it had, the losses would have been minimal. We just weren't ready."

"What happened to the man who had been in charge in the first place?" D asked with morbid curiosity. He could not help it. After all the time he lived with his father, most things that had interested him aside from the thought of leaving was how bad things were for others. He wanted to believe he was not getting the worst hand in life, even though he felt bad for thinking about it.

"Well, Nii sama was so pissed, and there really is no other way to put it, he exiled the guy. Of course, rumors had leaked out that the man had been in charge of that whole debacle and those who had lost family members literally came after him with whatever they could find and pummeled him to death."

"Rumors had leaked out?" Bakura asked skeptically, "Are you sure about that?" He had a feeling that Kaiba had been apart of that leak, but he was not about to go pointing fingers at a time like this. D just nodded his head, as if this was what he had expected.

"What do you think?" Mokuba asked, turning again and looking Bakura directly in the eye.

"I think that it doesn't matter right now," was his reply.

"Same here," Mokuba said, and they resumed their walk in silence for another mile or so. Bakura wished that the sun would begin to heat up the ground so his frozen feet would feel some relief, but the sun did no more than block some of the sight out of left eye as its beams passed between the buildings. D was looking around in wonder; the height of the buildings reminded him of some of the colossal monsters that his father had been trying to create for one reason or another. It was as if seeing them in real life, only these came before the monsters, and looked nothing like them. He marveled at the sleek shapes that although burnt and tarnished, still gave the impression that they used to. Or so he supposed.

Bakura was eying the horizon for the building he had called home when he asked, "So what happened to your brother's eye?" It had been the question nagging at him, for some reason something in his mind found it important.

"His eye?" Mokuba repeated. He paused, as if to find a way to explain it, and said, "Head trauma."

"Head trauma?"

"That's what the doctor who still lives here said," Mokuba replied, "When the bomb hit, a ways away from here, the impact of the explosion blew my brother across the room and his head smacked into a wall. It went through it," he added with force, as if they would not believe him, "He…should have died, but he woke up a few hours later, confused, and I don't know much about what happened after that except for seeing him hovering above me, asking me if I was okay. His eye was normal then, but both of them were dilated incorrectly, and they flicked one way or the other randomly. It took a few days to find a doctor for him, and by that time his eye had partially changed color. He's fine now, as you can see, and not many people know that he went through a wall, but I dunno," he said, sighing, "sometimes when I look at him I can't help but look at that eye. The streak is such a bright blue it attracts my attention. It feels like I'm not even looking at him when I'm looking into that eye."

"It reminds me of the holographic Blue Eyes White Dragon card," Bakura offered, and Mokuba grinned.

"Yeah, I guess it does, doesn't it? My Nii sama was protected by his favorite card then!"

Bakura smiled in return, but something in the thought was unsettling. He gripped D's hand in his own and looked upward again, searching for his home. D's eyes widened at the pressure, but it had not been just from the man's hand. He recalled the first day that he had met Bakura, and how he had wondered if maybe the man had not been human at all. That was of course impossible, but the strange aura engulfed him now all the same. It was a cold and frightening feeling, darker than even what his father had given off, but not as strong. Yet. He wondered if the man noticed what he was doing, but his expression never changed, and nor did Mokuba's. D began to wonder if he was just becoming paranoid, and if the chill had been from a gust of wind, the pressure caused by the buildings that shielded them from the sun's rays.

"Bullshit and you know it," his left hand jeered, "You've got yourself a bonafide mental case who doesn't even know what he has under his sleeve. You certainly know how to pick your 'friends'. Let us hope this one doesn't accidentally kill you with all of his good intentions."

D squeezed his hand shut, closing his eyes as his nails dug into his skin, first pressing and then slicing open his skin in neat half moon cuts. He would not speak ill of Bakura, he had done so much for him already. Even if he scared him sometimes…

Suddenly he could feel Bakura tugging on his arm, and D realized that just power walking would not do, Bakura was breaking out into a full run. Forgetting about what his hand had said, D sprinted with Bakura, hearing the surprised cry from Mokuba and the cocking of a gun from the guard, who also shouted out a warning, but it was unnecessary. By then, Bakura had reached his destination.

Gasping, tears filling his stinging eyes, Bakura looked up at the building that had suffered a minor battering but still stood, its curving balconies jutting out in perfect alignment, seemingly untouched by this new world. Bakura could see why. The doors that usually lead into the lobby were not only locked, it had chains wrapped around on the inside, the rest of it was boarded up with random pieces of furniture, and there was probably a barricade behind it. The glass showed signs of attempted break-ins, the bulletproof glass (which Bakura had never noticed had been bullet proof in his time living there) had spider web-like cracks where people had battered and shot at it, but it still stood impenetrable. The whole building must have been like this.

Mokuba ran up to them after cursing at the guard, following Bakura's gaze. "Yeah," he said, winded, "I thought so. Good luck getting in. I didn't realize until just a few minutes ago what building you were talking about exactly. This one here has been impossible for either side to get in. We figure the guy who owned this place barricaded the door, maybe tricked the people inside that it was safer to do the same afterward, and we haven't been able to get in. Nor have we seen any random people coming and going from this area, unless they are from the north. The guy must have committed suicide or something, and the rest probably died inside."

"That's stretching it a bit don't you think?" D asked, "I mean, for all you know, they could be living in there just fine, or they could be somewhere in the 'north' part of town."

Mokuba was about to say something, curiosity filling his eyes, when Bakura let go of D's hand and began to walk back and forth in front of the building. D looked down at his now empty hand, the comfort he had felt disappearing as the heat of the other's hand faded. Mokuba forgot about his question, and watched Bakura pace with a bemused smile.

"What are you doing exactly?" Mokuba asked.

"Looking for the fire escape, I think it is around back," Bakura replied.

"Don't you think we've tried that?" Mokuba asked, "We went up four flights of stairs. All of the rooms were barricaded."

"But not the sixth," Bakura added, and D raced toward him when he motioned him to come. He did not want to be any great distance from Bakura if possible, he still did not fully trust these people, and if Bakura was willing to humor this need, which it seemed he did as he grabbed the boy's hand when D reached out for him, he would take the chance.

"What would be so special about the sixth?" Mokuba asked, following him. The guard had been long forgotten, but he followed suit anyway, taking great care to keep his eye on Bakura at all times, just as ordered.

"I lived on that floor. If I could somehow climb up to my balcony, I could grab the extra key I left under the mat there. I always had a spare just in case I was on the balcony and the door got locked behind me," he spotted the half hanging ladder and nodded, "I suppose that this time my paranoia will have helped me. D kun," he let go of the boy's hand and lifted him up to the ladder, "climb up and then I'll be right up with you. You'll stay with me until I get to the balcony. I'll get inside and unlock the fire escape for you."

"What about us? And how will you get down again?" Mokuba questioned, "Not to mention, do you think that that thing is safe?" He motioned to the fire escape, just as Bakura struggled up to the first platform. D was already tentatively climbing the stairs, but stopped at Mokuba's last statement. He looked at Bakura with a worried expression, more for the other man than himself. D was quick, he could easily get himself off of the structure if necessary, but Bakura…was human. No matter how one looked at it, he was not super human at all; in fact, he hand looked a little clumsy climbing the ladder. How was he supposed to climb onto a balcony that probably with his luck was at the other end of the building?

Bakura paused for a moment, looking at D. "Do you want to stay down here?" he asked and D shook his head without hesitation. Bakura looked down at Mokuba, smiling, but D could see now that he was giving him one of his false smiles. D was beginning to realize that most of the smiles Bakura wore were not true smiles at all. Secretly he was pleased; all of the real ones he had seen recently had been directed at him.

"Stay down here Mokuba," Bakura said, "And if I fall when I climb onto my balcony, please take care of D. I have a good feeling that I will be fine though." The fake smile widened, and Bakura could see that Mokuba was not fully up to the idea. "I would ask that next time I do something ah…a little out of the norm that I don't get a gun pointed at me," he added, "It was just a tad bit rude wouldn't you say Mokuba kun? I mean I just saw my home."

"Yeah," Mokuba said sheepishly, "I suppose. Just be careful. I don't want my brother to have to deal with your dead body and all you know."

Bakura nodded and began to climb the stairs, moving D behind him so he could test each flight first. The stairs had been shaken, yes, but they had held well. Each step he took gave him more confidence, and by the third flight he was walking a steady pace, keeping D close behind him. He glanced down at Mokuba who was looking up at them, rocking back and forth on his feet as if one of them were to fall he would try to catch them.

'He always was a nice kid,' Bakura thought as he ignored the way the metal was pressing into his feet, 'Well, after you got past his bratty attitude for strangers.' He continued his climb, sure all would end well.

That had been the third flight of stairs, though, when his confidence still roared with the aid of adrenaline. Now, as he reached the top of the sixth one, his heartbeat thudded painfully within his chest, fear overtaking him. He had to stop and hold the railing as he looked down at Mokuba. He had never been afraid of heights, but the realization that he would have to climb on the railing to get near the balcony's opening, and that if he slipped off…it would be to his death. What he had told Mokuba had only been words; he had no intention of dying, but what if he did? Bakura swallowed hard and looked back at the boy who had risked his life to get him out of his prison, and steeled himself to the thought of falling six flights, to have his last memory be one of cement connecting with his head, blood and brain spraying everywhere before he blacked out forever, at least as Bakura Ryou.

"Bakura sama?" D had watched the young man's pallor change from a self-assured shine to the green tinge of sick fear and now wondered if he should be the one to take this daunting task. It was not as if his father had not asked him to balance from a fishing wire above a tank of broken glass (for motivation of course) to see how his motor skills were coming along. After that, this would be a piece of cake. "Are you okay?"

Bakura nodded, knowing full well he was not. "I will be fine," he said, "Just got a little surprised by how high it really is, but I will be fine. I will be fine." He had said it the last time as a sort of a mantra to calm his nerves. Taking another deep breath he lifted himself onto the railing, swaying for a moment that seemed to last forever as he attempted to stand on the thin bar. Placing his hand against the wall, he took one more look at D and sighed.

"If I fall, I just want to say I'm sorry."

"You won't fall," D replied, "And I wanted to see the world anyway."

With that Bakura gave him one of the brightest, most genuine smiles that the boy had ever seen him wear and he turned, looking forward. This would possibly be the most dangerous thing he had ever done while conscious in this body. Taking a step, he heard the beams groan softly, and he closed his eyes, reminding himself that they had carried them up this far, and they weren't about to break now. Opening his eyes he took another step. Another. Another. By the fifth one he felt his confidence slowly return, he could do this after all. He took another step. The metal rattled together as his foot connected more forcefully to the small piece of metal that held him up. D said something, but it seemed distant, even though he was barely a few meters away. The boy called out more urgently, but Bakura did not notice until he reached the end of the beam. By then he realized what the boy had been trying to tell him. He was looking at a gap, one too large to breach by jumping from where he stood to the next balcony. He felt his heart sink in defeat. What would happen to them now? He had a feeling Kaiba had known exactly where he had been talking about even if Mokuba had not. That had been why he had agreed so easily to allow them to stay. It would be impossible to get inside, therefore they would have to leave and find another place to live. He groaned in anguish. That asshole! He even had let Mokuba give him more false hope.

"Bakura sama…" D began, but Bakura waved his free hand at him to stop. He would show them, he would show them all. He would get in, and then what? Kaiba would have to allow them to stay. How would he do it though?

"By not thinking like myself," he muttered, "by possibly doing the most stupid thing I could ever think of doing," and he would do it, because of the boy. The boy that he did not want to let down.

He turned to walk back, and D looked at him with an understanding that was beyond the years he had lived. What the boy had not expected was the young man's lips to spread into a smirk that was not his own, and the boy's mouth opened in disbelief as the man winked and spun around, sprinting on the very bar that he had been so careful to traverse earlier.

"Bakura sama!!!" the boy shouted, unable to move. Bakura ignored this, his mind had to be focused, and he had to tap into whatever that spirit had tapped into all those years ago to make his friends so fearful of him. That spirit had had confidence, agility, and a craftiness that had almost put Yugi's other half to shame. He had just been dealt an unlucky hand by fate, just as Kaiba, to always be one step behind. This would be different. It would have to be different, and he would have to call on strength he did not have in order for this to work.

"Amane," he thought as the end of the beam rattled under his foot, "Please help your big brother out here! I have to make it for D kun. I have to make it, like I would have if I had been there for you!"

His foot left metal to greet smooth concrete, and without thinking twice, knowing somehow that his footing was secure, he ran along the wall. As his body began to dip downward with the gravity, he launched himself forward, arms outstretched for the balcony's edge. He could hear screams from below him, and a soft wail from behind him as his left hand smacked the edge and slipped, flying backward from the force, blood gushing from the gash it had received. Bakura reached forward with his right hand to feel the tips just graze the edge before his fingernails scrapped against the cement below it. His heart seemed to stop beating for a moment as he realized that he had just missed it. Fate once again was going to throw in another dirty card and let him fall. His foot connected with the concrete below him, and he pushed upward, trying to grab at the ledge again before he fell any further. Yet again it was only the tips that reached it.

"No!!!" his voice screamed in his head, but his mouth remained open in silent horror, not a sound would come from it. He felt the tips of his fingers scrape against the ledge down to the smooth concrete again and his anger bubbled within him. He was not going to die like this; he was not going to leave D alone like that. That thought seemed to resonate throughout his body. Finally it felt as if his heart had begun to beat again, but it seemed to force itself. The first beat was a painful explosion, and for a moment it felt as if he was lighter. His vision was obscured by splotches of darkness, and he felt a cold breeze caress his skin. He tried to turn his head to see if he was falling, but his hand slapped up against the ledge once again, and he reflexively gripped it with all the force he could muster. Swinging his left hand forward, getting a quick glance of the faded scar that had been left by a 'durable poly-resin' game piece, he grabbed the ledge and used his feet to propel himself upward, swinging his body over the ledge to crash into a potted plant. He could still hear muffled screams from below, but D's voice had disappeared. Gasping for breath as he lay in the dirt and foliage of a dead plant, he waited for a moment to collect his thoughts. They were jumbled, and he still had no idea how he had gotten up there, as he could recall very clearly that his fingers had slipped passed the outcrop, but here he was, alive, and on his balcony. He knew this because he remembered placing the very pot he had landed on there three days before his birthday, to get a little less sun because its leaves had begun to burn. He chuckled, a lot of good it had done.

Standing up and brushing himself off, he walked to the front of the balcony, surveying the city that used to be. The little line of ocean that he had been able to see was still there, a little less blocked thanks to the lack of taller buildings. If he turned his head toward the east, he could see the Kaiba Corp. building towering over the remains of a once great city, a tower that held the dreams of the people that lived around it. He sighed and turned to the mat that had once been in front of the sliding glass door. Again, the glass had not broken, not even a crack had damaged its clear view into his apartment. Bending down to collect the key that had been in plain view and holding his bleeding hand to the area that the gun was under his pajamas, also realizing that somehow after all of the excitement that it was still there. Not to mention the notebook that had his most recent letters to Amane. He could not help but think that it was a very lucky situation when it came to that. Inserting the key into the lock, he turned it, and had to steady himself when he heard the bolt slide out of its lock. It was almost surreal, this happiness. He was truly home now.

"Thank you, Amane," Bakura whispered, resting his head against the glass as he wept, "I know you had something to do with this. Thank you."

He knew that he could not be idle however; he still had to get D inside, and then unlock the front door, if he was indeed alone in this building. He opened the door and stepped inside, his feet leaving small dirt smudges on the living room carpet as he did so. The room had not been torn apart by the bombing, but it had certainly been affected. His cabinets had been thrown open, the contents on the floor. It was then that the smell reached him. Covering his face he turned toward his kitchen, which was emitting a disgusting odor. It was rotten food of course, which he would have to remedy as soon as he got the boy inside. Making his way to the front door, he paused; a little worried at what he would find when he opened it. He pushed this thought aside and took hold of the handle, opening the door of 601 for the first time in years.

The corridor was empty. Some doors were open as if the occupants either had run out, forgetting of the door's existence, or they just did not care any longer. Bakura carefully sidestepped to one of these open doors and peered inside the room. He did not want to frighten anyone, as the consequences may not be in his favor. Who knew who rested in these places? Who knew their tempers, their reflex actions? Most everyone in the apartment building kept to themselves, Bakura doubted that any of them would have remembered their neighbor's name if it had not been posted right below the room number. Still he called out, just to see if anyone would respond.

"Hello? Is anybody here?" He swiveled his head around quickly, in case anyone had heard him from another room. Listening hard, he stilled his breathing to pick up any smaller noises. A creak, a heavy sigh; Bakura listened for anything, but only received the persistent ring of silence. He took another step in, but realized that it would be best to get to D as soon as possible. So without so much as a peek to make sure there was no one waiting in a corner to come after him as he turned away, he went to the fire escape door and pushed, almost expecting the alarm to start blaring, giving away his position to anyone that may have been there.

Instead, the door made a feeble creak as it was pushed out of its rusting hinges. At first he could not see D which made his heart seem to jump into his throat and he swung the door open with such force that it nearly knocked Mokuba over the railing. Bakura stood there in confusion for a moment, seeing as that Mokuba had not been there when he had left the boy, but shook it off when he saw D, who's eyes were wide and filled with fear. Moving toward him, Bakura reached out for the boy, who unintentionally took a step back.

"Shit!" Mokuba spat, flailing his arms around in wide circles to regain his balance. Bakura grabbed his shoulders to steady him and then turned back to the boy.

"Are you—" he began before the child took his hand.

"I'm fine," the boy said, his voice quavering a little, "You just scared me…I thought you were going to fall."

While Bakura had a feeling that this was not the full answer as the boy's eyes would not meet his own, he figured it would come up with time. At the moment he had more pressing matters to deal with.

"Why did you climb up here?" Bakura asked, looking at the teen that now stood closer to the door, eyeing the structure that they were standing on with a skeptical look on his face. Mokuba looked up at Bakura and motioned to D, who looked more uncomfortable than ever being placed in the spotlight.

"That kid nearly passed out when you made that jump, I didn't want him falling off. Just what were you thinking?!"

"I had to get into there somehow, right?" Bakura asked, "I'm not going to say it was the smartest plan, but it worked."

Mokuba just shook his head, "Well, next time you pull something like that, get a rope or something. It looked like you were going to fall."

"He was going to fall…" Bakura heard D mumble, but when he turned, the boy was just looking up at him, as silent as he ever was. Bakura sighed and motioned for the boy to follow him inside, but they did not get any further than a step before Mokuba held his hand out.

"Is it safe in there?" he asked.

"I don't know," Bakura answered truthfully, "My apartment is in the same shape that I left it, aside from a few things falling out of the cupboards and stuff. If you are asking about people, I didn't hear anyone, but if anyone was on my floor I think they would have come out to investigate by now, anyway."

"Oh," Mokuba replied, "Well then, I'll just climb down and explain the situation to the guard. We'll wait for you to come downstairs to unlock the door if you can. If you can't, well then…I guess this is your means of getting in and out. Just make sure you don't lock yourself out, I don't need to hear that you've gone and killed yourself by jumping of the goddamned stairs again."

"Sure thing," Bakura replied ushering D into his apartment, "Be careful when you climb down, okay?"

"Yeah," Mokuba replied, "See you soon!"

"See you." With that, the teen let the door swing back, the lock clicking in place, leaving Bakura in a darkness he had not noticed before. Glancing down further into the hallway, he realized that the only light came from outside, and only came through the doors that were open. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, he hugged his arms and went into his apartment, closing the door behind him.

D was still in the walkway, his right hand covering his nose in disgust. Bakura tapped his shoulder, and the boy turned to him, unsurprised. "It smells in here," he stated.

Bakura chuckled, "Yeah, well, about three years ago I had food in the refrigerator. It's probably in its final decaying stages…or the smell just stuck. I hope it's the former." Bakura looked back at the closed door and then turned again to look at D. "Now," he started, "I know that something is going on, D kun, and I would like for you to talk to me about it."

For a moment, the boy remained silent, looking into the apartment with a mix of forced and honest interest. Then with a glance in Bakura's direction the boy answered. "How's your hand?"

"My hand?" Bakura looked down at his hands and realized that his left one was still bleeding lightly from when he had cut it open, attempting to reach for his balcony. "Ah…" he hurried to the nearest closet and grabbed a towel that was half folded and half falling off of the shelf to place it over the gash, "Fine now, I suppose, but I don't think that's what really is bothering you." He turned back to the boy who had followed him, his shoes tracking in debris from outside. D noticed where the young man was looking and flushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry, I forgot," he said, sitting down and taking off his shoes, looking for the nearest pair of slippers.

"It's fine," Bakura replied, going over and handing the boy a pair that would fit him. "Now tell me," he continued, kneeling down in front of the boy, "What's bugging you?"

"You," D started, glancing up at the man before placing his full interest in the slipper he was putting on, "should have fallen."

"I know," Bakura said, to which D looked up at him in surprise, "I had a feeling I was supposed to, but I didn't did I?"

"So you did that then?!" The boy cried, jumping up and nearly kneeing Bakura in the face.

"Did what?" Bakura asked, confused.

"That!" The boy cried, "That thing! It was there! I saw it, I know I did!"

Bakura looked long and hard at the boy, whose frantic face only provided that the boy was not lying about whatever he saw. His heart beating faster with the knowledge that something happened to him that he did not know about, again, Bakura swallowed hard, trying to get the itchy feeling off of his tongue. "What did you see?" he asked, almost whispering.

"It was there, but it wasn't!" The boy shouted hysterically, "I saw it, it was so cold, so dark…it was…" Sitting down again the boy looked up at Bakura with shame in his eyes, "It scared me."

"What scared you?" Bakura inquired, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder, "What did you see, because I didn't see anything."

"How could you not?!" he exclaimed, and Bakura marveled at how loud the boy could be when he wanted to, "How was it that I was the only one who saw that? Mokuba san didn't see anything either! He just saw you slip, start to fall, kick back up, and then you were up there, but YOU DIDN'T!" D sobbed, tears actually forming in his eyes, "I'm not crazy, that big scary thing was there! It felt like my father only ten times worse! It felt like…it felt like…" D's voice faded as Bakura held him close. He could hear the boy's spastic breathing, could feel his heartbeat pounding rapidly against his chest. Bakura did not think the boy would finish his sentence, but raising his face away from the crook of Bakura's neck he did.

"It felt like, if it wanted to, it would have…I dunno how to explain it," the boy spat, angry with himself more than anything, "It felt like it could have eaten me, but not eaten me, like I, my body would have been here, but I wouldn't."

Bakura frowned. That was not a comforting explanation. "And you saw this thing, right? What did it look like?"

D rested his head against Bakura yet again. "I can't really remember, I was too afraid," he began, "It was huge though, and kinda blended into everything, I think that was why no one else saw it. And it was there one moment and gone the next, too. It had a really big hand though, and it picked you up, that's what I don't get," D stared into Bakura's eyes, "It picked you up and moved you to where you could reach the ledge again, and you did not see it. How did you not see it?"

Bakura did his best to recall the moment that he realized that he was going to fall to his death. He remembered thinking that fate had somehow played another nasty trick on him, he remembered his heart feeling like it had stopped before he even had impacted with the ground, the dark spots that came before his eyes, it had been dark, oh so dark. Then…a cold wind. 'But there was no breeze,' he reminded himself, 'the wind was pushing up, like a fan or something.' His hands began to shake uncontrollably, to the point where he had to grip the boy harder to him for the child to not realize he was afraid. He had not been afraid when the situation happened, no; he even recalled believing that Amane had had something to do with it. What D was explaining though, it just did not fit, and the way he explained it sent chills down his spine, like that wind should have.

"And is that all you remember?" Bakura asked.

"Well, I remember its hand, but I've said that already, and its hand had long nails. I couldn't really get a good look at it though, I believe that I have explained that everything happened too quickly," D replied, his voice becoming steady again, "It had a chameleon like thing going on, where if it moved it could be seen but I suppose now that I think about it, that might just be due to my eyesight."

"Well you do have a keen eye," Bakura offered, and was pleasantly surprised to see the boy give a small smile in return.

"I just wish I could explain it better. I've never seen something like that before," D explained, "I've seen plenty of things, mind you, things and beings that I really didn't ever want to see, but nothing has scared me as badly as that thing. Not even my own father and he…" with that he stopped and shook his head, "And it didn't look like anything he's ever attempted to create."

"I don't think it would," Bakura said, wracking his brain, "I have a farfetched idea, one that honestly makes no sense in truth, as that could never happen, but do you remember what Mokuba and I were talking about earlier?"

"What? About the city or his brother?"

"His brother," Bakura replied, situating himself into a more comfortable sitting position. D sat across from him Indian style, his arms hanging across his knees. He watched the young man with the interest of a child who is about to be told a story they've never heard. Bakura shrugged his shoulders as if he did not know where to start and then began, "His eye. I know that it doesn't make any sense. Eye color can change when there is trauma to the head, but like Mokuba said as well, Kaiba should have died. Now, I told you before that the man was stubborn, right?" The boy nodded. "Well, Kaiba is human, and no matter how stubborn he is, his neck should have snapped, at least from the way Mokuba told it."

Again D nodded, "He said, 'It went through it.' The only way I could think of him surviving was if it was a soft wall…"

"Dry wall," Bakura corrected, and D flushed with embarrassment.

"Dry wall," D said, correcting himself and shaking his head when it looked like the older man was about to apologize, "But his walls looked sturdy, and there was even something that looked like it was blocking a hole, so it isn't like they fixed it or anything."

"Keen eyes," Bakura repeated, and the boy smiled at him shyly. "My idea was something so crazy, I'm really not even sure if I should say it."

"Tell me," D pleaded, "I know what I saw, and I want to hear what you think it was."

"But it doesn't make sense, because all of the power to produce what I'm thinking was lost when Yugi defeated Zork," Bakura said, shaking his head, "I doubt if any of that magic still exists, and if it does then how in the name of…"

"You think the Millennium Items had something to do with this?"

"No," Bakura said, "Those things are in Egypt; I know it because I saw the final duel between Yugi and his other half. There is no way that…I mean I would chalk it up to A…something else before that."

D frowned. If he had been holding something back, he had told it to Bakura. So why was his friend hiding something from him? He dropped it though, knowing when the time came he would understand everything a little better. "Well, is there anyway we can see if it was or if it wasn't?" he asked.

"The closest thing I could think of is showing you my deck," Bakura said, shrugging, "The man who created the game got inspiration from the ancient world, but I'm telling you D kun, if something like that really did happen, I am worried. Very worried. I can't control that magic, and I don't know anyone else who can. Even Yugi couldn't, it had been his other half opening all of the dark games." Still the man stood up and went looking for his deck of Duel Monsters cards with D following close behind.

Bakura's room was still about as neat as it had ever been aside from a few things that had fallen from his desk, and the man was pretty sure if he opened his closet that other items would be sure to fall on top of him as well, but it was here that he needed to go. Opening the closet and holding up his hand to block a few boxes from crashing down on his head, he took these offending items down and placed them onto the bed, and once again entered his closet, looking for his card holder. D watched him for a moment before turning to the boxes, his childlike curiosity peaking again. Lifting the lid of one, he saw envelopes perfectly aligned in the box, packed to its full capacity. Pulling one out, he saw the symbols he had somehow expected. Amane, he mouthed before quickly putting it back in its proper place. He would read these later, possibly when Bakura was asleep so as to not bring up any bad memories. Of course, he would read the letters and listen to the man when he was ready, but the boy was curious now. Quickly replacing the top, he turned to Bakura who had now found his cards. Sitting on the bed, the man began to spread the cards out to where D could see each one. When he was done, most of his bed was covered with the trading cards, and both D and Bakura had had to stand before the man had been done, just to make room for the rest. Bakura looked down at his collection, a good portion overlapping each other just enough to still show the picture, and gave a low whistle of surprise.

"This really looks like I had no life," he said, chuckling, "And this wasn't even my favorite game."

"I want to see that," D said, "After I look at these and we open the door for Mokuba."

"Yeah," Bakura said, nodding. He had almost forgotten about the teen already.

The boy folded his arms in front of him, turning his left hand upward to look at its palm. Bakura had excused himself to go and pull some of the trash out of the refrigerator, so D was left to figure out exactly what he saw with no interruption. Glancing back over the cards and then to the door, he considered his quiet left hand before speaking. "Did you see it too?"

"What?" his left hand answered, finally forming on his palm, "the thing that got you so frightened that you nearly wet your pants? Did I see that?"

D scowled. "Yeah," he replied shortly.

"I dunno, maybe I didn't. I was of course treated rather rudely, I might not have bothered to peak when you felt you were in danger."

"Do not speak to me in this manner!" the boy hissed, but the hand just chuckled. "Did you see it or did you not, that is all I want to know."

"Oh, I get the formal talk. I see how it is. That guy," the left hand stated, using one of its fingers to point in the direction that Bakura went, "first scares you with his aura and then calls upon something that may have been a demon to save him gets the buddy-buddy talk, and I get this snooty little do-as-I-say shit. I'm the one attached to you, you know!"

"This I know," D answered, "But he is my friend, and hasn't hurt me—"

"Yet," the hand interjected.

"Yet," the boy continued, "but you are just a parasite who needs me to live. We are not friends so we should not pretend to be so."

"It would make life a hell of a lot easier if you did."

"Then you start," D said curtly, "Now answer my question, did you see the being that I saw, and can you help me find it in the cards?"

His left hand considered him for a while, before using the boy's wrist to turn himself toward the cards. "Are you sure that it will be there?" It was an honest question.

"I don't know," the boy replied, "But I have a feeling it will be. These are his favorite cards."

"And you think that he conjured up something that had to do with the magic he possessed before?"

"Yes, even if he does not believe this to be so."

"What makes you so sure?"

D shook his head, continuing to look at the cards before him. "I'm not sure, but I think that there was no one else around that could do it. But I am sure that it has something to do with these things. Bakura said they were in a sense the ka of other people from the past. He may not know much about it since his part was played by another…" 'Someone like you,' the boy thought bitterly, 'someone like you who wouldn't go away.' "But from what he was told, he knew about that. And if the magic stayed, then those things might still be in tune with it, and since they are his cards…maybe they sensed him?"

"Doubtful," his hand replied, "if that were the case then all of his friends with that magic would be able to bring up the same things. I think that was something else."

"Something special?" D wondered, "His ka?"

"Who knows," the hand answered, "even if it was, it didn't look or feel kosher to me, and I've seen some crazy things thanks to your father."

"So you did see it," D said, unsurprised, "why do you have to be such a pain?"

"Because," the hand replied, "how else do I get you to talk? If it wasn't for that kid over there, I would have sworn you didn't have vocal chords."

D snorted, resuming his search for his mind had begun to wander as all children's minds do. When he looked over the next lineup of cards, he gasped, startling his now quiet left hand out of its resumed rest. Picking up the card in his hand, he eyed every detail with scrutiny. The hands, the shape, if it had not been for the color, the boy would have said it had been this card exactly. Looking down at the description and then up to the element, he read to no one in particular, "When this card is summoned, destroy all cards on your opponent's side of the field. This monster cannot be destroyed by battle…six stars and earth element attribute…Fiend/Effect type, and has a point system of 2500/2100. This sounds confusing."

"Damned skippy it is," his left hand replied, "Lemme have a look; I want to be sure you got it right. We don't want emotional wreck over there to get any worse than he might be at the moment." D turned the card in the hands direction, lifting it a little higher so it could be read better, and could feel what could have been called a nod by the left hand.

"Yep, that sure looks like the outline we saw. The color not so much, but then again, maybe the magic is weak…"

"Or the guy who made this got it wrong," D ended, hurrying to show the picture to Bakura.

The young man was twisting the end of a garbage bag and tying it off as the boy came rushing to him. Smiling, Bakura waved his hand at the refrigerator. "It should start smelling better in here soon. I just need to open the balcony window and toss this somewhere other than inside."

"It smells everywhere," D replied, "but this probably will make it smell better in here."

Bakura nodded, his smile fading a little. "Did you find it? The thing you were looking for?" he asked, continuing his new battle of making his apartment smell decent again, "Probably not, I think that we both probably just got overexci—"

"I did." The finality in the boy's voice made Bakura's skin crawl, and he threw more than set the garbage on his balcony, taking the card from the boy's hand before it was offered. He stared at the picture for what seemed like hours, and D was beginning to wonder if he should trek down to the bottom of the building to let the other two in alone when the man handed him the card back.

"Huh," he said, his voice strained, his face pale, "Diabound…nah, I doubt it." He made a waving gesture as if to swat a fly away, "I rarely ever played him, no. No, not him." D opened his mouth to protest, but Bakura placed a finger against his lips. "We probably were just a little jumpy, I had told you about this stuff before and it probably was just your imagination trying to find the strange here as it had at that other place. It's best if we didn't talk about this to anybody else, though, we need…to fit in."  
"Fit in," D repeated, "I guess you need to just as much as I do…"

Bakura nodded, "After we open the door for them, we will talk a little more, and I'll get you something to eat. You need to eat." D watched as Bakura's eyes flicked away from him for a moment, and felt a dread that he did not realize he would feel. He did not want to feed from this man. It was not like he had not fed on his blood before, but he knew perfectly well that his father had never allowed anyone to bite the man, and after he began his experimentation on the man in earnest, he had disallowed the bloodletting from him, just as a precaution. D did not think that the experiments that were performed would have affected the man's blood, but he did not want to bite him, or watch him cut himself to feed him with the chance of the man possibly bleeding to death. He did not know if he would be able to survive without blood, though. His father had yet to test that on him. With little blood, he could survive, but after a few weeks, then what?

Bakura motioned for the boy to follow and he did. What the child did not know was that the young man fully believed in what he had been told by the boy. He just did not want to. 'What if he is back and I don't even know it?' he thought, 'What if…D kun gets hurt?' He did not want to think this, but if it was true that his card had just mysteriously come to life, then who else could it have been? He also wondered why he had felt so right, so comfortable with that card in his hand. Mentally shaking these thoughts away, Bakura led D down the stairs to the others, hoping that it had just been a one time thing, and that they could truly begin their peaceful life here, at home.


	7. Realization

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! and I do not own Vampire Hunter D. Writing this bit is getting dull.

But the story is still quite entertaining, and I hope you all feel the same.

Sorry it has taken so long for the next chapter to be posted, but I've been a bit busy. So here is an early Halloween treat for all of you!

Chapter Six: Realization

Bakura held onto his pack, grunting with effort as he scaled another large mound of concrete and twisted metal. A woman behind him began to whine to the man beside her only to be promptly cut off by his exasperated plea for her to shut her mouth. The young man's lips turned upward at the image he imagined of the woman looking back at the man with a half surprised, half offended look, with eyes that spoke of certain payback when they were alone. Instead of coming out as a smile, it looked more like a grimace as he pulled himself to the top of the pile. He felt the cool wind whip through his white hair, and was silently grateful that he had remembered to put it into a ponytail. Next time, or so he swore to himself, that he saw a pair of scissors he was going to give himself a haircut. It probably would not hurt to give D one either, as the boy's hair had finally passed his hips, and he had been complaining that he was sitting on it accidentally more often than usual. Bakura's own hair had reached the very end of the small of his back, and threatened to give the boy's locks a run for their money. It was not that he was neglecting it on purpose, but for the past several months, the two had just been far too busy. Life in Domino City had changed, but it still had a hectic feel when everyone woke up until everyone drifted off to sleep. Simple things like haircuts just got left in the dust compared to things like maintenance, medicine, food, schooling, and security. Bakura's job revolved around finding food.

It had been his first assigned job, and he had shown enough skill to damn himself to the task. His supervisor for this had been none other than Jounochi, and their reunion went far more smoothly than the one with Yugi. When Bakura had asked Kaiba about the man's placement into that field instead of security (for Bakura could recall that if anyone in their group had enough gumption to be security, it had been Jounochi) Kaiba had replied with a faint smile on his face.

"I've always called him a dog, and he has proved his worth in steering the cattle under his watch to food and safety when needed. You won't go wrong under that man's watch," his blue eyes looked into the softer brown ones with assurance, "He has been the only supervisor not to lose more than one man on his team for all the years that I had assigned him to this task. This is a dangerous job, and when you go out there, I will tell you now, YOU are your only security. The world has changed and it is not for the better, but you will see that in time. For now, just follow his orders, and don't get killed."

Jounochi had greeted him with a hug and a strong pat on the back, telling him that he hadn't changed a bit. Bakura had nodded politely to this, noting that the man before him had changed, and quite a bit from the last time he had seen him. He had also grown, his body boasting strength more than ever before. He also learned where Kaiba's sudden approval of the man had come from on his first day out, when they had been attacked.

It had already been a trial for the young man, who had felt like collapsing after just a few miles out. After all of the recent excitement, his body wanted to just relax, but he pushed himself further because he needed to, for he was not doing this just for himself. Jounochi had the lead, and another man whom Bakura did not recognize held the back. This man looked nothing like Jounochi, for his friend seemed to brighten up the area around him, a few who stood right behind him even laughed at the joke the other young man had just said. The people in the back however were always a good distance ahead of the man, often crushing the people in the middle to the people in the front; to this Jounochi had nothing to say, so long as it did not impede the distance that they made. If anything, it looked like it was Jounochi's way of keeping the people moving.

They had just reached the remains of a small convenience store that seemed to have been set up as a tourist trap, when a group of people came at them from the northeast. It took one shot fired at the group Bakura was standing with for all chaos to break loose. Someone beside him screamed; another pushed him aside in their mad dash to escape the gunfire. Bakura had fallen, skinning the palms of his hands and tearing a hole in his newly acquired jeans as all those around him ran themselves silly in tight little circles. Bakura had just enough time to look up at Jounochi who was saying something to the intimidating man before he got kicked in the head by someone who had timed their turn a little wrong. Pain shot through the young man's head, and he shut his eyes reflexively, feeling pain induced tears leaking out of his eyes. He wondered what he had gotten himself into, and hoped that he would be able to come home to his young friend alive.

When he heard the stamping of feet shift away from him, he opened his eyes to see the group huddled in the shop. Only Jounochi, the man from the back of the line, and Bakura remained outside amidst the bullets. Bakura stood up quickly, wobbling due to the pain in his head, and watched as Jounochi gunned down three without so much as a blink of an eye. The other man had taken out two that had been closing in from the right. The people in the store remained useless. That was when Bakura noticed something dark heading towards them. Giving himself just enough time to question if the thing was a grenade, but not to answer, he ran forward, ignoring the bullets that flew past him and caught the object, immediately throwing it back. It did not make a full journey back to the other group, but when it exploded Bakura and his team members were unharmed aside from a few bruises they had received when they had dived for cover. The other group had not been so lucky. One member was on the ground screaming from a burn they had received to the face, another, who had barely escaped the blast, had slipped and broken their neck in the fall. Four remained, but they were quick to turn tail when Jounochi had picked up his gun and aimed it at them. The other man gave him a questioning look, and Jounochi shook his head, holstering the gun.

"You pansies can get out of there now," he called with a tenderness, "Wait, better yet, get what you can and then rendezvous with me out here. Ten minutes tops!" Turning to Bakura he grinned. "I knew you'd put your life on the line, I've seen it before, but damn, Bakura, you either weren't thinking or you really have more balls than what you get credit for."

Bakura's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, "I just figured…"

"Just figured nothing. You saved our skins out there, quite literally." Jounochi chuckled, and took Bakura's hand, leading him like an adult leads a child to their playpen, "Here, you get first dibs on what you want from these idiots." Still smiling he added in a low voice, "I won't tell Kaiba a thing. Sometimes we need a little something here and there that we can't get anywhere else. Now go on, you deserve it."

Bakura looked down at the dead bodies, and felt his stomach do a slight turn. "I see you've gotten over your fear of dead things, Jounochi kun."

"With the way everything ended up, I kinda had to. Not to say that your deck still wouldn't give me the shivers," he replied good-naturedly, "But see if you can't find something for your hands with them buddy. You're bleeding all over the place."

Bakura had then nodded, looking at his hands with a strangely irritated look. His mind rang with only one thing at that moment. What a waste of blood.

Shaking his head to rid himself of this not so fond memory of his first day on the job, he stood atop the cement pile, now six months into his new life and already a supervisor himself. He might not see Jounochi on the job any longer, but he enjoyed the times he had with his friend on their time off. That rare time off…

"Okay!" He cried, turning to his small group of gatherers. There were five, not counting himself, but all were young and able bodied. They had to be, for unlike those stories where children believed that gathering meant little more than berry picking with a possibility of digging, they were gathering items that were dangerous and meant for warfare just as much as they were gathering to feed their city. This world was not safe, and all were too well aware that the east was becoming more dangerous by the second. People who had been content in their prior towns and colonies were now coming over due to lack of supplies, and most had no intention of bartering. This world was now a free for all, and most of humanity was degrading itself to raiding and pillaging. Wildlife had also changed, but they only knew this by the tracks they had seen. Strange paw marks littered the softer ground, and only once was a carcass found by Jounochi's group. Bakura and his group, along with the rest of Domino City had never seen the horrors that were arising due to the leftovers from the war, and nor did Bakura ever want to, but…

He was damned to his job.

"Everyone enjoying this little hike?" he asked, trying to make a little joke. Most of his group did nothing but scowl at this remark, but a young woman near the back smiled in return. The additional thumbs up sign made him redden with embarrassment. She was always a pleasant girl, and he had somewhat known her in high school, but most interaction with her was awkward. Anzu had mentioned that she had had a crush on him ever since he had transferred to their school, and had been more than ecstatic to hear that he was alive and well when he had returned with D. Anzu with a baby resting against her shoulder as Yugi looked at her with adoration beyond any Bakura had ever seen in his eyes before. He was happy that those two could attempt to live a relatively normal life given the circumstances, but he doubted his own life would ever turn out in that way. Even though Miho was not by any means ugly, he had never felt any attraction to her, but he had never had the chance to explain it either. This almost suited him fine, but he did not want her to get any ideas, and that was difficult when embarrassment could be mistaken for shy pleasure.

"Well it seems like one of you did," he continued, turning his gaze away from the girl, and setting it on the ground behind another, "You all know the drill, this is a medical supply run. If you find any food that you know you can carry, and you know it is good then do it. Do not make this your mission though; our food supplies are well stocked for the month. We need unopened syringes, and I repeat UNOPENED. Just because the world has changed doesn't mean that all diseases changed. We also need any sort of sedative, and please, if you don't know what drug you found bring it to me, we have a checklist written by a doctor that should describe most medicines that are found in a hospital. I will give you smaller lists of the ones highlighted, this way you can grab the ones we need immediately. I have been told by the previous shift that this place should be deserted –"

"Then why didn't they just grab this stuff then?" someone asked, annoyed.

"Because they were on a food run at the time. That was not their objective."

"That's stupid," they replied, grumbling.

"Choji san, if it bothers you that much then I must request you take it up with Kaiba san himself. I'm sure you remember how to make an appointment."

The man named Choji scowled, crossing his arms and turning his face away from the front. Bakura sighed in exasperation, but continued his speech as if the hiccup had never happened. There was too much that needed to be done.

"As I was saying, this place is supposed to be deserted, which means this should be easy. The difficult part is going to be getting all the stuff home, today. I doubt anyone wants to be out here during the night."

He could feel the fear coming off of his little group, and understood completely. They did not know of the vampires (Bakura was happily surprised to note that there had been no man resembling D wandering the area, but wondered why the man had not gone looking for his experiment/son) but the lands became dangerous at night none the less. Mostly it was just disappearances, but sometimes a member of their city who had left or had been out gathering was found with the strange paw marks stamped on them, the dirt caked, claw marks across their chest and other areas. Some had only chunks of flesh missing; others were completely free of anything that made them resemble a human. It was only by the skeleton that they were recognized as such.

"So let's just do this, and do it quickly, so we can go home to our families in one piece."

There was a collective nod of approval and Bakura turned his head toward the half standing building a mile away. He hoped that he would be able to find something rare, possibly in a massive refrigerator that worked against all odds. His finger traced the inner portion of his pack that he had ripped open himself, creating a sort of secret compartment. They were running out of something important as well.

In the school garden, D sneezed loudly. Some of his peers turned to him in disgust, but a gaggle of girls giggled from behind him. He turned, the sun hitting his unprotected face and he could not help but squint. "What?" he asked, "did I do something to amuse you?"

"You sneezed just now," one replied.

"That means someone is thinking of you!" another squealed and the group of girls fell into a new set of giggles.

"That's a bunch of nonsense if I ever heard…" D mumbled, "Maybe I'm just allergic?"

"Nah, you never sneeze," the tallest of the group tittered, "Someone has a crush on you!"

"And how is that—"

"Hey, Mr. Pristine Prince, you got a girlfriend?" A tall boy interrupted, making his way toward D with his hands shoved in his pockets, his chest puffed out, and his own little group of followers behind him. They began sniggering and D could not help but see the similarity in what the group of boys and the group of girls were doing. He mentally shook his head in disbelief that they could react so negatively to one another when they were so much the same in certain aspects.

The first day of school for D had been just short of torture. Bakura had had to leave due to his first job assignment, and had not been able to explain fully to anyone about D's sensitivity to the sun. The boy did not want to seem unnatural, so he had sat there in silence, feeling the sun burn against his skin ever so inconspicuously. It also did not help that every child that was in his "class" had been staring at him almost the whole time.

"His skin is so pale," he could remember hearing one whisper.

"Is it a he or a she?" whispered another.

"The teacher said it was a he…"

"What kind of name is D," the boy who was standing in front of him now had said, sneering, "Is it short for Deedee? My mom's sister in America was named Deedee."

He of course had nothing to say to those remarks. He did not want to hurt the boy, and felt that it was unnecessary to anyway. It was awkward, but it was not intolerable. His main problem had been the curriculum and the play time that was given. It was difficult for him not to go through their dirty sheets of "practice" in every subject in a matter of minutes. It was difficult not to read through the entire book from the "hardest" bin during reading time, while some struggled through the first chapter. His eyes took in every word, his brain calculated every problem, and his ears captured every important intonation from his teacher faster than it took the students to even realize they were supposed to be learning. He felt offended; he felt stupid for even lowering himself to answer the simple algebraic problem on the scratched chalkboard. Worst of all, he felt bored, but he was supposed to be normal, normal for Bakura sama's sake. Which meant that a nine year old boy would not be able to write an essay that would make a high school senior's teacher nod their head in approval; but of course after hearing about this, Bakura had spoken to the teacher, and D was allowed to do certain exercises that would actually challenge him, but he did remain in the class that was his age.  
This did not fix "play time" however.

It was not that D did not like dirt. In fact, he always felt some sort of pleasure wash over him when he dug into it, or stuck his feet in a hole to bury it over his feet. It made him calm and when it sifted between his fingers he could not be more contented. His problem was not dirt, but dirtiness.

These children did not know how to keep themselves clean. Neither did some of the adults, but at least the adults tended to certain necessities, like blowing one's nose before it begins to dribble onto one's lips, and wiping properly so there was not a faint smell of fecal matter left trailing behind. He understood his sense of smell was far better than humans, but still, how could one miss that? Thankfully, the girls rarely had this disturbing scent, so he had a tendency to associate with them more. This however made him the butt of every pansy, frou frou joke that only a juvenile mind could be offended by and he was irritated only because of how often they were repeated. During the actual schooling hours he could ignore his fellow classmates, but during "play time", as it was enforced that all must be social for the betterment of their community, he was confined to the schools gardens with them. And it was amid their small projects that would be given to the society that protected them that D was cornered by all that could possibly annoy him at that moment.

He had been playing with a girl his age, allowing her to braid his hair and talk to him about her mother. He enjoyed listening about how happy the woman made her as he dug at a little patch of dirt that did not belong to the flowers or the vegetables that the students grew. D was not against making friends, in fact he wanted more, but it was just so difficult to be friends with such juveniles. Childish games were fun, but not when sore losers abounded. That had been around the time he had sneezed, and all those idiots had suddenly appeared. He did not expect the girl beside him to speak up; he preferred her not to.

"That was a decent bit of alliteration," D stated, brushing off his pants to rid them of dirt as he stood. The girl beside him remained seated. "Did you truly come up with that one on your own, or did you run to your brother to get something that would possibly offend me? Pristine is a big word for you, you know." D could not contain the snide tone in his voice.

"Wha?" The boy's eyebrows rose in confusion, and then lowered in anger.

"Oh, so you do realize that I just poked fun at you," D continued, and then felt a hand touch his own. He looked down to see his friend looking up at him with worry on her face.

"Don't get into a fight, please?" Her voice was meek, and low enough for most not to hear. His ears of course picked up the words.

"I don't plan on it," he replied, and a small smile formed on his face, "why don't you go see how your flower is doing, Amami chan."

The girl smiled, nodded, and then ran off to the other end of the garden, to the little square of flowers. Most were not vibrant by any means, but any color made the area more beautiful. D watched her leave, knowing she would be immersed in her task soon, tediously checking her flower for anything wrong with it. Only when he was pushed did he take his eyes off of the girl, as he had to put most of his attention into not falling. Righting himself, he glared up at the bully who was looming over him trying his best to look intimidating, and crossed his arms.

"Yes?" D asked, trying to keep his composure.

"You're pretty stupid for saying that to me," the boy replied, cracking his knuckles.

"Saying yes? Or pretty much just saying you were too stupid to realize I was making fun of you?"

"You little shit!"

"Oh, you're using curse words now…does that make you feel manlier?" D could not stop himself from answering back. Even though he did not speak very often in class, or at all until it was necessary, his irritation with this boy had reached its peak.

"Hey, he's saying you aren't a man, Tomiichi!" one of the boys behind the tallest said.

"That's some pretty big talking for the kid who has braids in his long girly hair!" Tomiichi snorted, "You are really pushing your luck kid. Just because you are the newest kid here, smarty pants, doesn't mean that I'll let you get away with calling me a girl."

"I didn't call you a girl," D replied, "I can if you want me to. I just was not impressed with the language that you used. It sounded a bit forced. Wait a few years…kid."

"I'm going to kill you, you little shit!"

D did not reply to this. He was done with the childish antics, and turned to join Amami in her devout task in keeping her flower the healthiest. Instead of a push this time, he felt a blow to the back of his head, and spun around just in time to receive another blow to the side of his face. He heard the girls scream, and as he shook his head in disbelief (for the pain he received was nothing compared to what he had dealt with before) he felt the kid grab his shoulders and another came and kicked him in the stomach. This time he doubled over in agony. Suddenly his left hand reached out and pushed him back up to a righted position. Embarrassment filled the boy's face when he heard the others laugh, and his left hand spoke the words that he was thinking.

"Why aren't you fighting?" the hand hissed. D could have answered, but he was afraid that if he opened his mouth he would attack them in another way. 'I don't want to get Bakura sama in trouble!' was his reply, but it reverberated lamely in his mind, unable to be spoken.

"Ha! This kid really must be a girl! Come on! Fight me, you sissy! You wanted to talk big to the big boys, now walk it!"

"How about we just go pick on your giiiirllfrieend over there? That should get you moving."

D could not contain his rage any longer. He wanted to make Bakura proud, and he could take a few jabs and insults, but these children were about to attack his friend. She had not done anything to them, but they were just that immature, just that unjust to do it.

He opened his mouth and screamed, lunging at Tomiichi and forcing the boy to the ground. The separated groups had formed into a circle around them, and D could hear their cheers and jeers, could hear Amami crying and begging for a teacher to come over as he continuously pummeled the boy with his fists. The child below him cried out feebly and raised his arms to protect his face, tears streaming out of his eyes, blood flowing out of his nose. The cheers had stopped, frightened mumbling had taken over. D grabbed the boy's arm and pulled it away from his face. The smell of blood wafted up and for a moment D could only stare at it, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He forced his eyes away and glared into Tomiichi's.

"I could break your arm," he half whispered, half said, "Do you doubt me?"

The boy only gurgled in fear.

"Do. You. Think. I'm. Lying?" D snapped.

"No!" the boy howled.

"You leave Amami alone, you and all of your little stupid friends. If you have a fight to pick, pick it with me, and only ME. Do you understand?"

"Yes!" he sobbed.

"But you are going to leave me alone now, aren't you?" The boy did not respond so D gripped his arm tighter, "Aren't you?"

"Yes! Yes! Please let me go!" Tomiichi cried out, and that was when D realized that a male teacher had come and was pushing his way through the small crowd.

"Just know, I went easy on you," D added quickly, "Next time, I'll break your arm, and give you a few fractured ribs. Because I can do that, I can do all of that with just one hand." He felt a rough hand grab the back of his shirt and pulled. D's right hand was still holding the boy's arm in a death grip, and it took a few shakes for D to realize he needed to let go.

"Brutal," he heard his hand say as he was dragged away from the group, "You are just as brutal as He is…"

"No…," D whispered fearfully, watching the boy as he got carried off by the school nurse, "No, I'm not. I'm not!"

"Then what was that?"

He felt a stronger tug pull him toward the dilapidated building they called a schoolhouse, and quickened his pace to keep up with the teacher. He was aware of the look he was receiving from the teacher, but that was not the person he was afraid of. He was afraid of Bakura, and what he would have to say about this fight. Bakura would be disappointed.

He knew he had let Bakura down even before his first swing had connected with the boy's nose.

The light from the flashlight flickered, and Bakura had to tap it against his hand for it to become a solid beam again. He surveyed the area and nodded when he saw all of his people standing there with their packs full, and their faces bright with tired happiness.

"Okay, so we have found what we needed?" he asked, unable to contain his excitement. The sooner he got home, the sooner he would be able to give D what he needed. He knew that the boy was still uncomfortable about the idea, but as much as D enjoyed the flavor of some foods (ice cream in particular, if that rare treat could be considered as such) he did not eat much of it, nor did he really need it to sustain himself. So Bakura had been stealing blood packs here and there from their stores when he could, and using a syringe on himself when he could not. Needless to say the latter was not as efficient as Bakura was not a doctor, and could not take out too much lest he over did it, but it was fresher. It was always nice to give the boy a decent amount though, and with just a taste D would be able to recognize if the packets were good or not.

"Let's get out of here then!" He cried, motioning for his group to go through the doors. All of them left with gusto, and Bakura wondered if they kept that pace they could get home in half the time it took for them to get there in the first place. As they trekked further away from the building, Bakura took another look back and smiled. The day had been a good one, and he could not wait to return home.

There was a soft cry ahead of him and he turned his head sharply toward the noise. His people were standing still in shock as a young boy came down a distant weed covered concrete hill, sobbing and crying out. He was far away enough that they could not hear him properly, but close enough that they could see the bloody patches on his torn shirt and that his head was covered in enough blood to plaster his hair against his face. They watched as the boy tumbled down the rest of the way, cracking his head against a metal beam as he rolled. Hitting the pavement, he rose to his feet, wobbling, and looked right at them. Bakura felt as if he had just drunk a gallon of ice water as the boy staggered towards them, still crying all the while. They young man had the urge to run over there and help him, but something told him they needed to get out of there as soon as possible. He was about to round up his group to continue on, but Miho bolted toward the boy just then, calling for him to stop, that he would only hurt himself more if he continued on. The boy however began to limp quickly toward her, screaming and crying and began to point behind him. Miho reached the boy and held him up as he collapsed in her arms. Bakura's group began to mutter amongst themselves and Bakura could feel unrest sliding through the cracks of the previous happy feeling he had. Something was not right with this picture. Where did the boy come from?

Bakura turned his eyes to the sky, watching a dark cloud slide over the sun, and he felt even more afraid. The world had now become a soft shade of gray, all other colors deadened by the lack of light. Normally this would have been soothing to him, but he could not forget that day, could not forget those clothes. Everything had been gray.

"Amane…" he whispered, his eyes still watching the clouds come together in their slow fashion, the sun setting despite their need for its light. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Miho bringing the boy closer to his group; the others still stood in disbelief. Where had the boy come from?

He could smell rain. It was coming from the north; the boy had appeared from the east. Everything was coming from the east. He did. D did. The raiders did. The boy did.

"Help meee…" He could hear the boy sob; it was still quiet. Bakura was off in his own world at the moment, one where he could almost feel her…or what he thought might be her. The clouds inched ever closer together, darkening the sky, and Bakura half wondered if D would have appreciated the break from the sun.

Where had the boy come from, though?

"There, there…" Miho said soothingly, holding the boy close to her as she neared the group, "I'm here and so are my friends, we are going to help you."

"Noo…" The boy cried, "It's going to get me…It got my momma…It's going to get me…"

"What's going to get you?"

Bakura felt a twinge of some emotion, and realized something was wrong with the situation. A boy never popped out of nowhere in this world, and he did not just come from the east without a reason. Not one as small as that.

'He was trying to run,' the voice in his head stated. This was not her voice, nor was it the voice of the man he knew was gone, gone at least from his body. No, this was his reason trying to figure out why he had such a bad feeling, and why he had not gone and tried to help the boy. 'There is something that did this to him and it is still behind him. That blood is fresh.' He felt his stomach tighten in fear. 'Whatever it is, we need to leave now, bring the boy if you must for your conscience, but leave NOW.'

Bakura opened his mouth to make the command that should have come so easily when he heard a shriek. It was an inhuman cry, and even Miho who was trying to quiet the boy turned her head toward the noise. She was almost to them, about thirty feet away. Had she really gone that far to get the boy? Bakura could not remember, but he found his voice just after he saw the creature barrel over the mountain. It was horrific looking beast the size of a bear, although it did not resemble one at all. Its fur was matted and mangy, clumps of it swayed from its belly onto the dirt, but the thing took no notice. It shriek/roared again, its teeth a bed of needles, but this Bakura could not see. What he could see was that what ever it was, it was lean, which means that it was going to be fast.

"Run! Run for your lives!!!" He heard someone scream, and he did not blame them. The thing had begun to run toward them, and the young man had been right, it was fast. He could not, however, allow them to loose focus; otherwise it would mean everyone's death.

"To the hospital!" he shouted above the commotion that had begun, "Run to the hospital and barricade the doors, now!!!"

His team began to run toward the building while he pulled the rifle he had strapped to his back (his handgun was safely hidden in his underwear drawer at home) and took aim. The thing, seeing its prey fleeing, galloped faster, and Bakura watched in horror as it approached the child and the woman carrying him to safety. He shot at it, hoping that it would turn to him instead, but the bullet just missed the side of the beast's leg and it continued after the two stragglers. Bakura cursed under his breath and ran toward the thing, still pointing the rifle at it. He knew full well that he would probably miss again, but he knew he would miss for sure if he was any further away than he had been.

"Keep…running!" he panted, and fired another shot. This one hit the beast in the rear and it roared in pain, spinning around. Bakura could have sworn it was glaring at him with its large half lidded eyes, but he was more than happy to have the attention on him, and not the people who were unarmed. He aimed the rifle again as it began to run at him and shot at it again. The bullet disappeared into the brute's muscle and it was close enough for Bakura to see the blood spurt out of the wound. He aimed again and shot nothing. Looking down at the gun, fear began to overtake his senses. The rifle was empty.

"No!" He heard Miho scream and looked up just quick enough to see her drop the boy and begin to sprint toward the beast that was coming after him. His heart felt like it was going to burst out out of his chest and as he fumbled with the magazine, trying to replace it, he hollered back at the girl, hoping that she would listen.

"Get back to the hospital! Take the boy and get ba—" He looked up, the gun reloaded, and watched as the thing spun around, slashing at the girl who had gotten too close. Her body flew to the side, and the thing followed it. Bakura could hear the boy scream and run at the thing with only his fists to protect him. Without much thought Bakura raised the rifle and shot at the monster again. The bullet's aim was true and the thing toppled over, away from Miho. Bakura hurried to her side, the boy already there and sobbing harder by the time he had gotten there.

The girl was wheezing; it was obvious that the thing had crushed her ribcage into her innards. Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, and her eyes had a dreamlike quality to them when Bakura looked into them. Disbelief shook him to the very core. This girl was dying, and it was his fault.

"Hang in there, Miho," he said, his voice seeming far away.

The girl looked at him with a mix of pain and adoration which made Bakura want to run far away from anyone who would be able to care for him like that. He remained planted in his spot, however, holding her hand as the boy on the other side began sniffling and gasping. Miho opened her mouth to say something, but only bloody foam made its way out. Reaching out, she touched his face, and Bakura had never felt so awkward and sorry in his life. He had nothing to say, he had barely known the girl, but she had cared for him, cared for him enough to try to save him when she thought he had needed saving. Out of respect he placed his hand over hers, and she smiled. They had been in that position for a few moments when Bakura felt her fingers begin to slip from his own, and realized that her skin was cold to the touch. The child beside him sniveled, and he turned to look at the boy. He did not register the movement behind him, but the child cried out in alarm and bolted toward the hospital, tears returning to his eyes like a never ending stream. Bakura sat there for a moment with the dead girl's hands still in his own, his face a palette of confusion. Only when he heard the snort of the thing behind him did he turn to it.

Its face was blown half away and the other bullet holes were leaking dark rivers of blood. It eyed him with human contempt and Bakura suddenly realized what it had all meant. Dropping the hands of his fallen team member, he reached again for his rifle. The thing snorted at him again, daring him to pull the trigger. He looked into its eyes for another moment, confirming his thoughts that, even when exposed to radiation, things did not get this bizarre within only three years time. This was something else.

Placing his rifle against the opening he had created, he looked down at the thing that had killed his teammate. Its eyes, one still within the skull and the other barely attached by the optic nerve, seemed to follow where the barrel was. It grunted and tried to stand, but he pushed the barrel into the fissure, knowing that it would touch the brain by doing so.

"No you don't," he began without feeling, "I know what you are, and I can't have you wandering around and by the off chance meet him again. Not to mention you killed…" he paused, turning back to the remains of what had been a girl that was blooming into full womanhood, "you killed her. You've killed a lot of people, probably a lot more of my people, too. You and your kind…need to leave this earth now." And with that, he pulled the trigger. The beast's head lolled to the side, the eye he could see showing less coherency by the second, but Bakura did not care. He pulled out the knife which resided on his belt, and plunged it into the thing's chest. Dragging the blade down as far as he could, he reached into the open cavity and pulled out the pulsing organ he was looking for. Laying it on the ground, the young man considered it for a moment before placing his foot over it, giving it one good stomp.

Turning back toward the hospital, Bakura felt the first drop of rain hit the top of his head. He could not see the child that had ran off, but that was the least of his worries. His heart was heavy, and he was unsure of what emotion to feel at that moment. Clutching at his chest, he walked toward the building, his legs carrying him half-heartedly across the broken road. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, feeling the tears begin to fall as he realized that it could have been him. He could have been that thing with the large, half lidded eyes; that thing that had an animal body, but eyes that spoke of cruel humanity. He began to cry softly, thrilled that he was still himself, miserable because a perfectly innocent soul had died to save him; but his tears fell mostly for a small boy who was at home at the moment, doing things that children his age should do, and more.

D may not have much of a chance to live a normal life for much longer.


	8. It's Only The Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, nor do I own Vampire Hunter D. I also DO NOT own the book Dracula AT ALL. That is Bram Stokers work and owned probably by his estate and all that good stuff.

Again, thank you for being so patient! Happy New Year!

Chapter Seven: It's Only the Beginning

D sat on the hard plastic chair in silence. He could hear two people arguing in the room behind him, but he did not want to listen to it. In fact, he wished he could have been anywhere, even his father's operating table, than in this chair waiting for his best friend to return from his job. The clock above him ticked with insistent persistency. Of all the things that were still working, D figured, it had to be the damned clock.

The voices rose to more than audible tones for D's ears to hear, and D clapped his hands over them to stifle the sound. He did not need to hear about how the boy may need to have his arm in a splint for a few weeks because D sprained it. He did not need to hear that the boy might not be able to breathe normally out of his nose for a month, or longer. He especially did not need to hear that they had to talk to Bakura, and that he was supposed to have been back by now.

As D curled up onto the seat as best he could, his hands still pressed against his ears, he wondered where his friend was. Bakura had been due home at least an hour ago, and even though D was happy for every loud second that went by where he did not have to face those who would punish him for even touching the boy, worry overtook his faltering hope that they would go on at each other's throats for the rest of the night and not his own. D was almost certain of one thing in this strange world, and that was that Bakura would never leave him alone intentionally. To a boy whose imagination was now getting the better of him, the fact that he was not there made the situation worse.

"You don't think he died, do you?" his left hand asked, the innocence in his voice dismissible due to the gleeful sneering tone underneath it.

"Shut up!" the boy snapped, clenching his left hand shut. Now he had one ear open to the conversation. He had just enough time to hear "a danger" before he had hastily opened it again and slammed it against the side of his head so that his left ear rang, muffling the conversation and most of his left hand's laughter.

Just when he felt he would not be able to handle it any longer (time seemed to crawl now, and as another half hour passed by he could swear the ticking was getting louder) the entrance door swung open, and he looked up in shock, fear, and elation. He had arrived, but something was wrong. D remained seated in his strange position, frozen, as the man passed by him seeming not to see him at all. He opened the door to the "Principal's" office, and let it swing shut before D had even mustered one of his muscles to move in that general direction. Suddenly the boy felt a doomed realization pass over him. Bakura already knew. Once again the boy placed his hands over his ears and sighed. He just wanted to be through with it all.

Bakura sat in the chair without so much as a word, looking up at the two men in front of him. One he knew, Honda Hitoro, and one he did not. Looking at the first man made him recall the girl he had just watched die; he had been the one with the crush on her after all. The thought made his inner persona shudder, but what felt like his outer shell was numb, and this was all anyone else could see.

"About time," the man whom he did not know said after a moment of heavy silence.

"Someone died," Bakura responded, staring into Honda's eyes, "I'm sorry that I made you wait." He hoped the voice sounded regretful, but it just felt cold passing through his lips.

"Yes, well," the other man continued, "in any case, we need to talk to you about your…ward."

"I don't see why I would be here if we weren't going to talk about D kun," he stated, emphasizing kun. His eyes still were focused on Honda's, whose own eyes were doing their best to hold his gaze, but shifted to the side here and there as if it hurt to look at him.

"So I take it that Kaiba sama has spoken to you about the situation?"

"Why did something like a playground fight need to be brought up to Kaiba san in the first place?" Bakura asked, straightening himself up more. Honda coughed into his hand, looking irritated.

"It wasn't my idea Bakura," Honda answered.

"You're the principal aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," the man responded, "And I believe we needed to handle the situation in a different manner, but Sakashimi san felt differently on the subject."

Bakura stood, beginning to understand the situation. He bowed to Sakashimi with formal disinterest. "So I believe you are the father of the boy my…son," he said this not forced, but with an uncertainty that the boy would have wanted to be called that by him, "had the fight with?"

"More like your 'son' severely injured mine."

"What exactly happened?" Bakura asked turning back to Honda, "Kaiba san did not have all of the details for me, he was far to busy with other more important things."

"All I know is that words were said, feelings got hurt, and they handled it like boys usually do."

"Normal boys don't beat other boys to the way my son looks like now!" Sakashimi shouted.

Honda shook his head, "I admit that D kun may have gone a little overboard, but I don't think he intended to do that much damage. I do also know he is a rather docile child, and that from one of the child's reports he was not the one to start it. It seems that since they didn't get a rise out of D they were going to go pick on one of his friends."

"A little-?"

"So all of this was just a simple misunderstanding?" Bakura said.

"I would say it isn't!" the other man snapped, moving closer to Bakura as if to try to intimidate him. Bakura raised an eyebrow.

"You do realize that D kun is about a full year younger than your son?" Bakura replied, "And what kind of childhood did you have that you hadn't been picked on by a bully once in your life? Or were you yourself the bully?"

The man's mouth opened and closed, and Bakura could only watch it for so long before he had to turn his attention to Honda in disgust. "I just had a really hard day," he said quietly to the man, "I want to take D kun home and possibly go to sleep. Can we move this along?"

"Yes we can," Honda replied, nodding, "Nothing was out of the ordinary in this situation from what I can see, Tomiichi himself even said he started it, but there was one thing I wanted to talk to you about. I would guess that D kun may be holding in his anger—"

"You would know a little about that wouldn't you?" Bakura said with a soft smile.

"Yes," Honda replied, grinning, "I may have a little experience on the subject; but in any case, I think that D may need an outlet, he does get bullied quite a bit, sorry to say." Bakura could see that he was telling the truth, and nodded. "And there are a few sports still able to be supervised. Why don't you guys come here on Sunday and we'll see which one has some room?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Bakura replied, clapping his hands together, "I'm sure that D kun would feel the same."

"Well I do hope so."

"So that's it?" Sakashimi said, looking at the both of them, "That boy is getting off clean with what he did to my son?"

"I'll talk to him about it," Bakura said, "I'm sure he is very sorry for what he did. Maybe you should talk to your son and remind him that he should treat people with more kindness?"

The other man blinked in surprise, and then glared at the young man before him. Pushing past Bakura, he muttered something that sounded like it's not over and left the room. Bakura looked at the door in silence, and then back at Honda. "I'm going to go home now, ok Honda kun?"

"Yeah," Honda said, "but, could you tell me one thing?" Bakura nodded. "Who died?"

Bakura gave him a sad look and sighed. "It was Miho chan," he replied, watching the man's face, "I'm sorry."

The man looked a little hurt, but strangely enough (and to Bakura's happy surprise) he seemed fine. "I'm sorry as well. It sucks, but I did get over her a while ago. Got Shizuka." His face brightened a little.

"Well, that's good. Can I ask you something?" Bakura said, walking toward the door.

"Shoot."

"How did you end up with this job?"

Honda looked at Bakura and then laughed. "I just think Kaiba hates the old guys." His face suddenly became serious. "But really? We might just be easier to control. Have you noticed our little group, or what remains of our little group, have the high spots in this society?"

Bakura nodded. "I found it strange that I was advanced so quickly. In truth, I don't think I was ready for it."

"Naw man, Jounochi couldn't stop talking about you. He said that he was surprised that a shy kid like you ended up being his most valuable team member. He was the reason you were bumped up, but don't hate him for that."

"Oh, I don't," Bakura said, opening the door, "It might take a while for me to believe I'm good enough for it though…"

"Think about it this way, and I know it sucks, but it's better than beating yourself up about it," Honda added before the young man left, "You are on par with Jounochi. One to one."

Bakura gave a half hearted smile and waved as he closed the door. In truth, he felt useless. He had so many chances to stop the thing, and had missed at possibly the most critical point. As both Kaiba and Honda had said however, he had still done a relatively good job, one for one. Looking down at his blood spattered shirt, he did not feel that he had done one. Turning to D who was now looking up with him in a mixture of knowing and shame, he smiled. It was full of sadness, but it was still a real smile for the boy.

"We need to talk," he said, jokingly, and the boy gave him a tentative hiccup of laughter, "You have been the most normal boy I have ever met, and we need to have a discussion about your natural urge to want to protect your friends."

At this the boy burst into laughter and tears of relief poured from his eyes. Bakura bent down and hugged the huddled child, feeling his own woe slip away as the boy's arms wrapped around him. He may have slipped past exile for his mistake without so much as a slap on the wrists, but if anyone could make him forget this awkward sadness, it was this boy. Petting his smooth dark hair, Bakura lifted the boy and carried him out of the building, smiling softly all the while.

When they returned to the apartment, D hopped out of his arms and hurried inside. He was embarrassed, but the boy could not help but feel content. Bakura was not angry with him, and even better yet, Bakura was alive. The boy began to hum a tune as he passed through the small hallway into his room. It had been Bakura's room before the war had begun, and every night he was able to sleep without fear, and for the past few months he had been able to sleep peacefully, even though he was naturally predisposed to being a wake at night. However, instead of going to his room, he turned into a smaller room when something caught his eye.

It was not that D had not been allowed in this room, and Bakura had mentioned that he had a little shrine for his sister, but he still had never had the urge to look in. Stopping just a few feet into the room he stared at the photograph that was on a small table. It was surrounded by items that looked like toys, and on either side it was bedecked with dried flowers. D wondered, in his child's way, if the flowers that used to be put on the display before the war had been fresh. A small box had been placed at the foot of the table. It was made of a wood that D could not place immediately, and it had designs of plant life atop its lid. There was one thing that D could tell from the box however. It looked expensive, and whenever D had seen expensive things in his previous life (so he would like to call it) interesting things had always been inside. Looking around quickly, making sure he was alone, he scurried toward the box. He stopped again, his hands just inches away from the lid, and listened for Bakura. He could hear pots clinking against tile and glass top of the stove, and sighed in relief. Bakura would not be around to see him, and he did not want Bakura to think he was defiling anything. He was just curious.

He touched the lid with careful fingertips and lifted the lid up. For a moment, he was afraid he had uncovered the girl's ashes, but gave a sigh of relief when he saw something less disturbing. There were a few candy necklaces placed within, and D chuckled when he saw they had been arranged in a specific spiral shape. That was most certainly Bakura's handy work. Closing the lid, D sat back down and wondered what the girl had been like. It seemed like if Bakura was obsessed with anything now a days, it was her. Bakura did not mention it in passing, but D had seen the man duck into the room the boy was now standing in at least twice a week ever since they had been in this building.

"Don't forget, you never did look at those letters," his hand whispered.

This was true. Even though D had been so curious to open those letters that he had seen on his first day in the apartment, he had never touched the box containing them since. They had just been so busy after that, opening the door for the others and clearing all of the bodies out of the building (for there had been quite a sum). Of course D did not handle the bodies, but he had helped in cleaning out some of the surrounding apartments so it at least smelled more pleasant in the hallway. In fact, D had only had a passing glance at the Monster World table as well. He had been interested in that too, and yet there had been no time.

"I know, but—" D started, but then spun around. He had sworn that someone had been watching him, but only an empty doorway greeted him. The boy rubbed his eyes and looked again; still nothing. Turning back around, confused, he looked down at his left hand. It was giving him a strange look.

"Did you hear anything?" he asked, knowing the answer. There had been no strange noises behind him, and he could still hear Bakura making his preparations to begin cooking whatever he was going to cook.

"No, but that wasn't why you turned around, now was it?"

He looked back up at the picture of the young girl. She sat on an object that was not visible in the picture, and it looked like it was in a park. It had the feel of a staged photo done by an amateur, but the girl's smile was real. Her brown eyes flashed with the life of a little girl that was making her way into teenager-dom; kind, mischievous, and self-assured. Her white hair was in a messy ponytail, and it was obvious that she had just been pulled away from playing to take this quick picture. Aside from that however, her clothes were well cared for, and in her hand she held a small ring of flowers that could have possibly been a flower crown. D quickly glanced down and saw the very same ring of flowers placed around the small toys and miniatures, and then looked again at the picture. However there was no more to be seen, it was a rather straight forward picture. D could not shake the feeling that there was something more, though. Her skin was pale, just like Bakura's; her fingers were long like his. It was obvious that they were twins, and D could tell that if she had been allowed to grow up, she would have been a beautiful young woman. Maybe it was just that this was all he knew about her. The picture, the fact that she died in a traffic accident and that Bakura could not stop mentioning her at strange times was all the boy had to go on, and he wanted to know more because he was curious. Just like he was curious about the thing that looked like the Diabound card that Bakura had told him not to talk about, but the boy still thought about it.

"Do you think that…?"

"Do I think that she has anything to do with that strange demon that that kid conjured up? No, I don't, but if you ask me, this crap has gone way out of the stadium of what I'm used to. Hook me back up with good ole' science any day than this mystical crap."

"Vampires are supposed to be mystical creatures, too," D replied, standing up.

"Well, whatever. My point is that I don't think she has anything to do with the crazy stuff that happened; I just think you're making a mountain out of a mole hill because that crazy kook out there can't shut up about her. If you want to worry about someone, don't worry about a ghostly encounter, worry about that lunatic who doesn't want to believe that he can summon very dangerous things into this world."

"He would not hurt me," D snapped, "he cares about me."

"Kid, if you haven't realized it, that guy over there cares about every flippin' thing that comes across his path, and it usually ends up ending nasty."

"Like how?"

"Like that girl who got killed? I know you were listening."

"I…doubt he even knew her."

"Sure, but he certainly sounded sad, and he was in a nasty mood when he first showed up now wasn't he."

"He's just not used to seeing people die, and I bet you it wasn't even his fault!"

"There was blood on him," the hand said in a sing song voice. D shook his head in annoyance.

"You just don't understand him," D replied angrily.

"Oh, and you do?"

D did not reply. Instead, he knelt down before the shrine in a fashion that a former priest had shown him years ago, and folded his hands together, crushing his left with his right so he would not have to hear the other voice. He closed his eyes and hoped that what he was about to do would not be too painful. D did not believe what he was about to do was the same thing, or even apart of the same religion, but he was none the less timid when he uttered the first words.

"Uh…Amane? I don't know if you know me, but your brother takes care of me. I don't even know if you can hear me, but it's worth a shot I think. I don't think I ever would have believed in ghosts or spirits or really magic at all if I didn't know your brother. My father was a bit scientific you see, and he believed that we all evolved into the way we are…but, I can see that I'm getting off topic. I don't want to bother you if you can hear me, I'm sure that dead people prefer to sleep or do whatever it is that dead people do and not be bothered by little nosy kids who probably have no business being on this earth anyway.

Before I get any further away from what I wanted to say, Amane, I wanted to ask you, if you are the person I just felt or perhaps just maybe…the thing that is bringing the cards to life or something…could you stop? Bakura sama really needs to live a normal life now, and I think he could do it a lot quicker if he could, let go of you. So, tell him it is okay or something, just to let you go…that way he can stop acting weird like he does sometimes. I care about him a lot, he's my best friend, and well, he's the only person I have in this world that actually cares about ME. He knows what I am and still likes me," D paused for a moment before adding, "Thanks for listening. I'm D by the way."

Standing up, D bowed to the shrine and turned away. He felt better, as if he had been holding his breath in this whole time, and now he had let it out. The parasitic being in his left hand resurfaced, a little perturbed. It eyed the boy as he was about to exit the room.

"Why'd you do that?" It asked. D stopped and looked down at the hand, confused.

"Why not? If it could work, why should I not try to stop something that may be hurting Bakura sama?

"Yeah, but did you ever think that if she was real or was around, that you may have just royally pissed her off? It was her brother first you know." With that, the hand chuckled and its face disappeared. D frowned and was about to respond when he heard a loud thump from behind him. The boy's eyes widened in fear (if the shrine had fallen apart in any way Bakura would have his head for sure, whether he liked him or not) and he spun around quickly to survey the damage before Bakura noticed.

A book that had been half hidden by one of the items on the shrine had fallen to the ground, its spot now obvious to D, and the fact that it was far away from it did not escape him. Picking the book up, D ran his fingers over the used cover, freezing when he read the title. There was no possible way.

Flipping the book open, D was momentarily distracted by a childish scrawl on the inside of the cover. There were doodles that had been colored in, and then re-colored with mustaches or fangs. Some of the doodles were just faces with little peace sign hands next to them. It was cute in a strange sort of way; it outlined a small paragraph with symbols that D recognized automatically as Bakura's handwriting. D took another look back and then began to read the note.

- Amane chan,

I picked this out for you for your tenth birthday! Mom said it was not like the movie that Dad let us watch, and that it is really long and in English, but I know you'd like it anyway. We can try to read it together for fun, and if we have to, we'll use the dictionary that Grandma gave me for our birthday last year (Remember what she said? Learning things is the best gift! Well, we all know what I think...). That should confuse them all!

And anyway, you wanna be a vampire for Halloween, so you have to read about him! He's like, the first one!

Love your big brother,

Ryou

D closed the book, staring at the title again. He did not know if it was an omen, or just coincidence, but for all the reading he had ever done, he had never seen this book, and if it was her, what did it mean; if it was not, what then?

"Dracula…" He muttered, and then shivered. D was so deep in his thoughts he did not hear the muffled footsteps that approached him.

"D kun? Where are you? I have a surprise for you…" Bakura stopped, nearly dropping the bag that he had been carrying. The boy turned around quickly, clinging to the book. A shocked look was spreading across his face. Bakura got a better hold on the pack, and smiled at the boy.

"You startled me! I wasn't expecting you to be in here," he started, kneeling down and ruffling the boy's hair. D gave him a look that was almost distrustful, and Bakura's smile faded. "What do you have in your hands?"

"I didn't take it," D replied, realizing how guilty that made him sound. "It fell."

"Take what?" Bakura asked, and held out his hand for the book which D tentatively returned. Bakura looked at the book with a sad expression, leafing through the pages, pausing to read a passage that had a note in the corner of the page here and there. He closed the book slowly, stood there a few moments looking at the front and then gave it back to D, who took it, his shock turned into surprise.

"That was one of our favorite books to read when we were younger," Bakura said, sitting in front of the shrine. He glanced at the boy and patted the floor beside him, offering him a spot to sit. D sat beside him, eyeing the picture that was slightly above them with uncertainty. Bakura smiled faintly and added, "We didn't understand a lot of it, and we both thought that some of the descriptions were too long and unnecessary, but we had fun trying anyway." D watched the man's fingers unconsciously trace the edges of the book. "I know that she is gone, D kun…but I know that look you give me when I stay in here too long, or I mention her at odd times. I can't help it," the man stopped for a moment, bowing his head and D wondered for a moment if he should be feeling this way about his mother, or feeling the shame of not understanding the situation, "I just…miss her. I miss her so much, and I never…I never really could talk to anyone about it. I know I shouldn't be talking to you about it, you're just a kid, but—"

"When did she die?" D asked, and was surprised at how soothing it sounded to his own ears. Tears were forming in Bakura's eyes, and the only thing that D could guess in what to do was to hug the man, no matter how awkward it felt. For this moment, the roles were reversed.

"We were thirteen. She and my mother were going to a dentist appointment. I don't know the details, I was at school. Something happened; Amane chan flew from the car, and was run over right afterward. I was sent to the hospital because I was having stomach pains, and then I remember my dad coming into the room and…" he paused, sniffled, and then continued, "he was crying."

"Was that that one thing that twins can do?" the boy asked, his curiosity unmasked, "Feel what the other is going through?"

Bakura gave a half-hearted laugh. "I have no idea," he replied, "All I know is that my dad came in, and told me that both my mother and my sister had died. My mother had died instantly, Amane chan…after being run over. My mother's shrine is over there," he pointed a few feet away, and D realized that he had never noticed it, and felt horrible instantly. Maybe he was not in the room the whole time just talking to his dead sister. The boy could tell right away that they were related as well; the hair, the eyes, the soft, knowing smile. He wondered if he looked anything like his mother, he could hardly remember her. She had always been in the dark anyway, her hair covering her face. He could not even remember seeing her smile in the last days he had seen her, not even that sad one that was on Bakura's mouth at the moment.

"I never got to say goodbye, to either of them," the young man went on, "I loved my mother, don't get me wrong, but Amane chan's death hurt the worst. She was my other half, the part of me that I couldn't be, and I was the part of her that she couldn't be. I thought I understood it when Yugi kun had to let Atemu go, that they had been just as close, but he got over it, and I never have. I think it might be just because I never…"

"But you say you feel her sometimes," D interjected, hoping the man would not begin to cry again. It always made the boy feel uncomfortable.

"Yeah, and I really do. Sometimes she's here, and sometimes it feels like she is just, gone."

"Maybe you…should…let go?" D mumbled, half hoping the man would hear it anyway, which he did.

"Let go? Of Amane chan?" Bakura laughed, and it was a laugh that D was so unused to from his friend he almost backed away from him. Almost. It was the laugh of a lunatic, and D wondered for a moment if his little parasite had been right all along.

"I couldn't let go if I wanted to."

"Why not?" D inquired, worried.

"Let's not talk about it. I had a real other half, she's dead. I had another one, who I have no idea if it was me or not and he's dead. I don't need to go jinxing myself anymore. Anyway, I have something to talk about with you."

"Oh, okay," D replied, dropping the subject externally. Internally, he fumed. He could not stand the fact that they would get so close, that he would possibly understand Bakura just a little better, and then the subject would be dropped so quickly that D speculated if Bakura even realized that he had started the conversation in the first place. There was something else, however, that trumped this anger. "Can I ask one thing, though?"

"Hm?" Bakura stopped in a half standing and half sitting position. D remained seated, his hands clasped in the same fashion that Bakura had seen when he had first met the boy. The boy opened his mouth, closed it, and then with renewed courage began to speak.

"Could you read it to me?"

Bakura blinked. "Read what?"

"The book, Dracula?" The boy felt the unintentional shift of pronunciation and hated himself for it. He wanted so much to just be like Bakura, aside from the sister complex, but he felt himself slipping ever slowly toward is father. He never wanted to be like him ever, and he wanted to make sure, in every way, that he never did. Bakura thought D's father was a bad man, and D thought Bakura was a good man, therefore in his simple logic, Bakura was always right.

Bakura smiled, and gave the boy a pat on the head. "You do that pretty well," 'Amane chan would have loved to know you,' he thought quickly, "and yes, I can do that. Now come out here and I'm going to give you something you should have taken last week."

D wrinkled his nose, "Do I have to?"

Bakura laughed. "Yes, you do. And it isn't a bad thing if you like it," D frowned, "But, I have a real surprise for you, after dinner." He saw the boy's eyes light up and laughed again. He was adorable, there was no doubt.

"Ice cream?" D exclaimed, eagerly following him now, forgetting about all that had just happened. "You bought ice cream? Can I have some?" Bakura nodded and as they walked towards the kitchen, Bakura felt the rest of his sadness from the day melt away.

After dinner (and ice cream), Bakura finally found the time to cut the boy's hair. D requested that his hair stay long, but was more than happy to loose five inches so he could sit comfortably. Afterward, Bakura let the child take control of the scissors and cut his hair. He had not been expecting much, in fact, he had expected his hair to be a short chopped up mess, but D surprised him yet again. He was no barber by any means, but when Bakura looked in the mirror his hair was relatively the same length and style as when they had first met.

"You have no end to your talents do you, D kun?" Bakura asked. D shifted in his chair, embarrassed and pleased with himself. Then his pleased disposition faltered, and he had a sad look once again.

"I can't swim though," the child replied, "That's a talent I'll never have."

"Nonsense," Bakura declared, "in fact, Honda kun said he thinks it would do you some good if you had a little extracurricular activity added to your schedule. I'm sure they still have swimming. We'll teach you in no time." D gave him an insecure look, and Bakura could not help the urge to pick him up. "You'll be fine," he said as he walked him to the boy's room, "I'll be right there, and I can swim. So, Sunday we'll go out there, and see if we can't get you in a swimming class or something."

D rested his head against the crook of the man's neck; the pulsing of his blood was more soothing now that the child had been fed. He did not respond to the man, but when he was placed on the bed, he motioned to the book that had been put on the nightstand. Bakura looked at it and nodded, picking the old book up and leaning back against the wall to get a comfortable sitting position on the bed. D lay against him in order to read the words as he spoke them. They had done this only twice before, but D found that he enjoyed listening to the man talk, and it was funny to hear him struggle with some English words when presented with them. He did however sit up rather quickly when he caught the beginning of the chapter.

"This written like a journal?" the boy asked.

Bakura nodded, "Yes, and it can get a little dry, but it is supposed to get you inside each character specifically I think, and understand each of their trials and things like that." The boy gave an 'oh' and settled back down. "Okay, Johnathan Harker's Journal," Bakura paused before saying journal, and D could not help but giggle when the man finally said it, "Third of May, B..b...Biztriz. Left Munich at eight thirty five p.m., on first of May, arriving at Vienna…"

D listened and followed with rapt attention, only flinching a little at a familiar name here and there, but otherwise giving no reason for Bakura to worry about him. By the time that the moon was high in the sky, and for all the city's lights to go out, D was snoring softly, his head against the left side of the young man's chest. Bakura looked down at the boy, realizing this and smiled. Marking the book, he set again on the desk beside the bed and carefully removed D from his position to place his head on the pillow and cover him with blankets. Bakura flicked the light off, and paused in the doorway for a moment, looking back at the sleeping figure with love in his eyes before cracking the door and heading off to his bedroom.

The apartment was silent for two hours aside from the sleeping figures in their respective rooms. The wind whistled its lonely tune through the crack of the partially opened sliding door that had been left open to keep the other rooms at a decent temperature (for although they had electricity, the apartment's air conditioning and heating unit was completely blown out), and the refrigerator hummed along with it. It was peaceful, quiet, and safe.

Then two eyes opened in the darkness, two cold eyes that waited until they had seen what they had needed to, and the dark mass rose up and began to walk, setting things into motion once again.


	9. Amane

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I don't own Vampire Hunter D. As a side note, very surprised to see that my really old story is getting attention o.o;;;

Chapter Eight: Amane

D scanned the area, his ears picking up the soft breathing from down the hall, and nodded to himself. Bakura was asleep, and D could not imagine the man waking up after such an ordeal from earlier that day. Sliding out of bed, the child made sure that his footsteps were silent (lately he had been putting more force in his step as footsteps were a normal noise) as he walked toward the closet. Opening the door he looked up into the darkness, finding what he wanted immediately. Putting each foot against the doorway, D shimmied himself upward until he could reach the object. After steadying himself, the boy reached out and took the box in his arms, the weight nothing to him, and dropped down to the ground, his feet making only enough noise to be hidden by a breath. He carried the box to the bedside and placed it on the mattress with care.

"So you finally found time for it?" his hand questioned. D did not reply, but closed his left hand to demand silence. He did not need Bakura waking up to see what he was doing. Lifting each envelope with great care, he looked at each one, trying to figure out which way everything started. The man's scrawl had not changed very much over time, but D had a keen eye, even in the darkness, and could tell where the motor skills had been less honed and the symbols less practiced. When he was sure that he had the order right, he pulled out the first letter and felt the back of the envelope. Time had worn away the sticky seal and it was more than easy to open it with little chance of Bakura noticing. He hoped the others would be similar. Pulling the letter out, he unfolded it and began to read.

_ Dear Amane,_

_ It's been a week. I'm out of the hospital now. Dad says that we'll be holding a service for you and mom soon. He took time off of work for this, and he just needed to finalize something before we could go through with it._

_ I went to the psychiatrist today. Dad made me go. He said that it might make me feel a little better about the situation. I don't. The psychiatrist told me that writing down my feelings would probably help. I decided to write to you instead. I'll make something up later for him to read, but I want to talk to you._

_ I miss you, Amane, why did you have to go? We joked that I'd be the first to go…because guys die sooner. I feel so alone. What is going to happen when dad has to go to his expeditions?_

_ Please come back._

_ Love,_

_ Ryou_

(D replaced the note, briefly thinking about how Bakura had just been reading fictional journals to him before opening the next one.)

_Dear Amane chan,_

_ Today your big brother went to the psychiatrist again. It's been about a month since I last wrote to you. I've just been so sad, and even the thought of doing this makes me cry. Anyway, the psychiatrist says I may need to take pills due to "the deep depression that has come about." Well excuse me, but if his sister had died, I'm sure that he would be sad too. Of course, I think I have a better reason; we are inseparable. I suppose that this hurts more because I can't see you, and I know that we belong together, well, our souls do anyway. I don't want to sound weird. Oh, I picked up a really neat book on witchcraft today; I know you would have liked that. I'm reading it during lunch. These things are just so fascinating, what if they were real? Of course, most of this stuff would just kill someone, so I suppose someone could really make a poison from scratch… (D continued reading the four pages of back to front explanations of what was in the book with a bit of chagrin, it was long, put too simply, and it reminded him enough of his father that he wanted to be through with it as soon as possible)…Anyway, I'm not going to take any medication. Dad's going to have to like, sneak it into my food if he thinks that's going to work. I feel better already, just writing to you. I just have this feeling that you can read this…or will be able to once I 'send' it to you. I have to go now though, so I'll write later. _

_ Love, your big brother, _

_ Ryou_

Continuing to go through the letters D found most to be a repetition of how the teen missed his sister, and how his day to day routines seemed to be meaningless without her. It was not the usual teen angst or depression that D had read about in his father's psychology books; the young man did not blame his father or anyone else, nor did he have the need to lash out at anyone (at least he never mentioned it). He did not hate life; he was just sad.

It was in the last letter in the first row that caught his attention again.

_Dear Amane,_

_ How have you and mom been? Your big brother's been okay for the most part. Dad's been gone for a while; he's on another expedition out in the deserts of Egypt. He sent me a package yesterday. In the letter he said that he just had this feeling that I'd like it. I opened it and I found a pendant that had five dangling points and a pyramid in the middle of a ring with an eye in it. It really is something else, and it looks like it should have come from a tomb or something. If that is true then I don't know how he managed to get it over without the government throwing a hissy fit about it. Then again, that's dad for us, a regular new age tomb robber…ha, ha, ha._

_ I'm wearing it around my neck right now, and I can tell you Amane, it is heavy. Not uncomfortably heavy, but I've never had anything this heavy around my neck before. I think it would suit you better, you like big jewelry, but so long as I keep it under my shirt I think I'll be okay. I don't need anyone calling me a girl, now do I. _

_You know, I had some of my friends over today to play Monster World with me, and I leveled up Zork. It's fun to play with them, I wish I could play with them forever…I'll write to you later._

_ Love, _

_ Ryou_

D had a feeling that he was going to see the beginning of all the boy's troubles with the item, and the next letter did not surprise him.

_Dear Amane,_

_ I can't believe it…It's just too weird. I was playing with one of my friends today (dad was home, I know, it's weird too, isn't it?) and they just fell over out of their seat for no reason. He was limp and didn't move when I shook him, and when we took him to the hospital, they said he was in a coma. It was really scary, and out of nowhere. The doctor says he was perfectly healthy, but he didn't respond to anything. I've been asked over a thousand times about what happened. I don't know what else to say. He was fine one moment, well as fine as someone who lost a game, and then he was just on the ground, not moving…_

_ I'm really worried about him Amane; I hope he is going to be okay. I'll write more later but right now dad is calling me over. I think he's going to ask me what happened again._

_ Love, your brother,_

_ Ryou_

_ Dear Amane,_

_ How are you doing? I'm fine. Your big brother has been getting forgetful recently. I still can't believe that it's Sunday already. This week has gone by so fast. I know that I haven't written in a few months, but it's just been so hectic over here. Dad's home again, and everything is just kind of getting worse. Don't worry about me though, I'll be fine. I feel fine at least, but my friends…_

_ It just keeps happening, and I don't know what to do. It even happens the same way each time. I invite a friend or a bunch of friends over, I play Monster World with them (by the way, Zork is leveling like crazy), and then they all fall into comas. I can't think of anything that would make that happen. I've been really careful when I invite people over. I don't let them eat anything in the house, I make sure that everything is clean and no one is allergic to anything, and they still are going into them. I am getting really worried, and so is Dad. He is going to be leaving soon for another excavation, and then he is going to contact someone from another museum over there and they are going to swap exhibits. He wants to stay, but this would be really beneficial as the two teams could work together to possibly find out more information about who was the pharaoh of Egypt about three thousand years ago. He says they haven't found any names lately, but a lot of the stuff they have been finding has been dating back to then. It's probably a good thing, I don't want him to get hurt, and I'm getting the feeling that this all might have to do with me. I mean, they are all fine before they come here…_

_ A lot of kids at school are thinking about that too. Some of my classmates don't talk to me anymore. But don't worry; your big brother isn't too sad about it. Like I said, it is probably for the best. You know, I read in one book about poltergeists and stuff that it usually happens when there are teenagers about. I don't know how credible this all is, but it is still interesting. I don't think that poltergeists do things like put people in comas though._

_ I'm sorry if I scared you, but I can't imagine any other explanation._

_ Love,_

_ Ryou_

Thirteen more letters expressed the teen's trepidation, and D realized that he was no longer learning anything about Amane, but about the boy who was being dragged down into some strange magic that he had no knowledge of, even when he searched in every medicinal or occult book he could find. Within the last letter it almost seemed as though he was as much intrigued about his ignorance as he was frightened. D did his best to ignore the parallels between Bakura and his father, even if they were vague parallels. Having a child's mind, having any similarity was just too much for him. He continued with the young man's journey; how the police were interested in the cases, how Bakura was afraid that he may one day hurt his father if indeed he was the reason (which was true enough, sad as it was) and how he was going to move to Domino City, where his father could see him occasionally because he was the curator of the museum there. Bakura had made some ridiculous story of how he had wanted to try to see what it was like living on his own for the most part, and his father had agreed, finding his interest in independence a possible step away from an 'unnatural clinginess' that the boy had gained after his sister's death.

Nearing the end of the long line of letters, D noticed that the one he now held had been hastily folded and shoved into the envelope, as if there had been some emergency, or if someone else had done the deed and had not taken the time to painstakingly crease the paper just right so it would fit snuggly in the envelope. He pulled it out, interested in what it could have to say. Each letter thus far had been moving strangely away from the fact that Amane had passed on, and they were turning more into letters as if she were still alive, just far away. It unnerved the boy to think that his friend had spiraled downward in his understanding of the situation. It was so backwards, and as the boy read it, it seemed that the young man seemed to be preoccupied.

_Dear Amane,_

_ How is school? How are you and mother? Your big brother went to his new school today. I'd been there a little while and on the very first day I made some friends. They asked to come visit me in my apartment. I'm looking forward-_

It ended abruptly, and the line that ended the symbol slashed across the paper as if the young man had turned suddenly. D could almost see it. A noise or voice of some sort pulling the young man's attention away from the paper, confusion and worry in his voice as he made the silly but understandable move of calling out to see if anyone was there. He was positive that he would not have to look at another letter to figure this out. It also explained the hasty way the letter had been treated. That had been the other half that had done it; the spirit of the Ring. He did not know why it was so frightening just to think about it, as Bakura had said, it was long gone now, but looking down at his own left hand gave him chills. 'He was worse than you,' the boy thought.

"I don't know about you," the hand piped up as the boy returned the box to its usual resting place, having no interest in reading any of the other letters, "But I think we learned jack crap about the girl, and more about how we should stay the hell away from that guy. He's crazier than I thought, writing letters to his dead sister."

"Shut up," the boy grunted, heaving the box forward. He was having difficulty fitting the box where he had found it. Reaching behind it, his feet on tiptoe, he felt two packets and pulled them away. The box slid back neatly.

Holding the packets to where he could see them, he wondered aloud what they were, but closed his lips tight when he realized it. He did not want Bakura to wake up and find him snooping around. Going back to his bed, he dumped the packets out onto the mattress and viewed them with increasing amusement. Here he could view the young man at quite possibly the very age he was now if not a year older or younger.

Pictures had flopped out of the packets with ease, mixing in such a haphazard way that he could not figure out which went to what packet. Some held pictures of simple things, like presumably the man's mother making breakfast in the kitchen, with a young Amane straining to reach into the pot with her spoon to help stir, and Bakura hamming it up for the camera, pulling the corners of his mouth wide and crossing his eyes. Other pictures, more simple to the eyes of someone like Bakura but extremely fascinating to the boy, were pictures of the park and the beach. He had seen real, wild greenery when they had escaped the compound, but this was another sight to behold entirely. People strolled through the serene scene in summer clothing; the trees beckoned some with their shade, the fountain in the middle spurt forth crystal clear water while children tried to catch the liquid to toss at one another. In another picture, the twins were tumbling down the sand dune to the water's edge, daring it to get them wet. A blue haired man with glasses was running toward them, trying to catch them, for he had seen the water was moving faster than the children believed. D smile widened at each picture he looked at. Everything was calm, everything was right. Looking out through his window the boy saw the ruined remains of a city and his smile dropped immediately. It seemed that the real happy, carefree days were gone already, in his eyes, and they were gone before he even got to know them for himself.

Tears threatened to fall from his eyes as he turned back to the pictures, but their glamour was lost. They were false promises in his hands, the past, and something that would never return, at least not like that if his father had anything to do with it. The boy had a sneaking suspicion that his father would have something to do with it if he got the chance. The closest thing the boy had was a broken man who slept a few rooms away from him, plagued by nightmares when he slept and exaggerated optimism when he was awake.

The sudden thud of something heavy in another room made D jump, forgetting his morose thoughts, and he ran to the doorway to peep into the hallway, which even to his keen eyes seemed dark and ominous. He mustered up his courage and took a step forward when he saw there was no one in his immediate vision. His light step did not fail him, and even when he put his weight down on a notably squeaky board it did not make a sound. The boy continued on this way for a couple of moments before becoming irritated with his slow pace and took in a deep breath.

"Bakura sama?" the boy called out into the darkness. When no reply came he tried a different approach. "Amane san?"

For a moment he actually expected the sound to repeat itself, but chastised himself for even getting the notion after a few seconds standing there in the dark. "Dead people can't talk," he whispered to himself, "stop being so foolish."

"Starting to sound like that Bakura kid," the parasite muttered. He would have said more if D had not shushed him. The boy had heard another thump, and a dragging sound of metal on metal. He did not know what was going on until the cool night air reached him, cooling his face and filling his nostrils with clean air. Someone was either coming inside or going outside.

"Bakura sama?" he called again, unable to mask the squeak of fear that was laced within his voice. Again no one responded, and D began to wonder why Bakura had not woken up by now, he had called for him twice, albeit his second attempt was far quieter. Usually when the boy called for him he was up and in a panic.

By now he had reached the opening within the hallway where it spilled into the living room and could feel the wind coming from the widened opening in the sliding glass door. A lonely figure stood in between the frames, one hand pressed against the wall, another clinging to the glass door. D could see the person's fingers outlined in white on the glass, the pane warmed by their touch. Their hair blew across their face, but since they were looking outside he could not tell immediately who it was due to his shock. That a person was actually standing there in the middle of the night was alarming enough in this "city" that had such a strict curfew code. As the shock wore off, however, the boy knew who it was, and walked up to them with fear no longer gripping his innards.

Bakura stood tall, a pale statue against the dark background, his eyes scanning for something unseen. They had a dead look to them, and after a few moments of standing there his face would contort and he would seem like someone else all together. His eyes would narrow, his pupils would contract, and he would get a grimace as if he were thinking hard about something. The next moment his face would relax and the young man would look normal, sleepy, disoriented, but his eyes just as dead looking. The pupils would dilate and his eyes would widen, and then his face would repeat the previous motions. His breathing never changed, it remained in the calm deep breaths of one that was asleep no matter how quickly his face changed or even when he rocked forward, startling D to where he put both hands on the man's stomach to keep him from falling over.

"Bakura sama!" the boy exclaimed, "what's wrong?! What are you doing out here?"

The man continued to stare forward as if he had not heard him, and the boy realized he was holding himself up and that the boy's firmly planted hands were doing nothing to help. Lowering his arms he watched as the man staggered over to the balcony's edge, muttering something that D could not understand. It was not in any language he had ever heard before.

"Bakura sama!" he repeated, grabbing the man's hand and tugging on it, "What are you doing? Wake up!"

"Do you hear it?" The response was so quick and unrelated that the boy could only stand there in confusion.

"Hear what?" D asked after the man refused to say more. He had not turned to the boy when he had spoken, but remained stoic and in whatever trance he was in.

"The voices," the man responded as if the boy should have known.

D listened hard. There were no voices coming from anywhere aside from their own mouths. The wind was gusting through the dilapidated buildings and bringing forth a scent that D did not recognize well. It smelled of water, wet dirt, and promised something to cool the air further. With an educated guess the boy tugged on the man's hand again and motioned to the apartment. "There are no voices," D said, afraid, "That's just the wind. It's going to rain, I think, so we should go inside."

"I hear them," the man said dreamily, "they want me to go that way…" he used his free hand to point to the east, "or that way," he pointed to the west, "either way will take me there…"

"To where?" the boy questioned, not seeing anything of importance.

"Ocean," the man said simply, "I need to cross two in the east and one if I go west, but going west is harder. It's where the others really come from."

"Why do you have to cross the oceans, Bakura sama?"

"To find…" his eyes narrowed suddenly and the man began speaking something in gibberish, only to stop a few seconds later, "I can't hear them when they talk like that," he spat, his voice retaining it's harder tone, "It, they, he, she…I need to fix me."

"Fix you?" the boy inquired, more lost than he originally was. Bakura was acting strange, and D did not like it, not one bit.

"Me," he growled, and his voice changed again, back to the one the boy was most familiar with, the one that could comfort him with a few words, however he was not comforted by it now, no matter how soft and soothing it was. "I have to find the other me," he stated, more coherent than before, although his voice retained the dreamer quality to it, "and Yugi should too. These are dangerous times, darkness…the light can't hold it back for long this time. It's in the blood now," he looked at D finally, and his blank stare made D wish he had never gone to look for the source of the noise in the first place, "You aren't the first to have the darkness, but you have the light in you as well, that is how it should have been. It should have been balanced, but the light was too greedy in the beginning, and then the darkness followed, and they fought."

D shook his head, "You aren't making sense, Bakura sama, let's just go inside, please?"

The man looked away again, "You need the darkness to fight the darkness, and it's nothing like fire with fire. The light now is too dim; they need the traitors from the inside. The time for unity is back again, thousands of years too early."

"Are you saying that you want to go get the Millennium Items?" D asked, the blabber now piecing itself together, "I thought they were bad?"

"They are used for evil and for good, how else could the pharaoh feel the need to act so righteous?" Bakura stated, his eyes flashing with life for a moment, and his lips curling into a snarl, "Stupidity labels them, they are neutral by default, but yes, darkness is what they were made from. It's the souls that give it power, and the souls attracted to darkness are usually evil by nature. That or harmed by 'the light' in such a way they feel the need for revenge."

"Who are you?" D inquired, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. Bakura had said the other spirit had left, but from his actions it seemed to not be so.

"I'm Bakura Ryou," the voice replied softly, the features on the man's face softening, "Incomplete, unfairly incomplete. I need a full soul to stop the madness that has overtaken this world. Amane says so." The man's face broke out into a smile so bright and lively that it was as if D was looking at the pictures of the better times. "I can see her if I go. The voices said I could." His brightened eyes returned to their deadened state and the man said, "I'll help you stop your father, and we'll live in a world far better than this, I promise you. Even if it takes me a hundred thousand years…" before he collapsed, his head hitting the concrete wall with an unexpected crack. D screamed, completely taken by surprise.

It was the scream that seemed to rouse the man, and he was back up on his feet in seconds, blood gushing down his face. Bakura looked around confused and out of breath, and when his eyes settled on D who looked alarmed but relieved, he took in a deep breath and calmed himself. It was then he realized he was freezing, and the side of his head throbbed with sharp pangs. He lifted a hand to the side of his head and tenderly investigated the cut. He brought his hand to where he could see it, and in the dark it seemed as if it was covered in a black mass. The smell of blood reached his nose and he gagged, swaying forward again, this time needing the boy's support. It brought back the memory of carrying the blood soaked woman back from the hospital, and he had to close his eyes and remain hunched over to allow the newfound nausea to pass.

"Bakura sama?" the boy asked carefully.

"What is going on?" he asked, trying to stand on his own, "Why are we outside?"

"…you walked out here in your sleep," D lied, feeling that it would be best to keep the strange gibberish the man had been spouting a secret. As much as he somewhat appreciated the loyalty the man had expressed in a cause the boy himself had not even thought of yet, the rest of it was too confusing to even try to explain, "and I heard something, so I came out here and you startled me. I screamed and you fell."

Bakura had a feeling that what the boy was saying was not true, but he dropped the subject, too tired and too much in pain to really care. He took the boy's hand, forgetting that his own was covered in blood and led him inside, closing the door the whole way this time. He ruffled the boy's hair and told him to go to bed, that he would see him in the morning, and went into his own bedroom, lying on the bed and telling himself that he would clean his face in the morning as the cut had already stopped bleeding. He sighed, content under the covers and thought, 'When it all goes to hell, we go east.' Unsure of where the thought came from, the man drifted to sleep that was marred by unsettling and inconsistent dreams.

D on the other hand watched as the man wandered into the bedroom and sighed. Things were getting too strange for the boy's liking. As he wandered back into his own room, he glanced into the shrine room and stared in confusion. One of the toys that had been on Amane's "table" had been flung unceremoniously to the wall parallel to the living room, and D realized there had been nothing wrong with any of the other rooms, and that when thrown, it would have sounded like something was in the living room.

"You still think that guy is the greatest thing since ice cream?" his hand offered and D glared down at him. Picking up the toy and putting it back on the shrine, he shook his head and stuck two bloody fingers in his mouth unintentionally.

"This is just ridiculous," he muttered, and swore with all his heart for the first time as he went into his own room with no intention of sleep. However, as he lay his head down with his fingers in his mouth, he sunk into the calming darkness with his last coherent thought being the untainted smile on his friend's face, and wishing he could see it again.


	10. Dreams

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Vampire Hunter D. I'm beginning to wonder if I own my muses or my muses own me…

Thank you all for the reviews! I'm sorry that it has taken so long for another chapter to be posted, but I've been pretty busy. Good news and bad news by the way, I have more than just this chapter done. However, my beta reader is as busy as I am, and hasn't responded about this particular chapter. So this was not beta read. If anyone would like to be my beta reader (as I know this is an odd taste in reading), give me a shout.

Chapter Nine: Dreams

It repeated itself in a maddening way, changing only fractions, but enough to make him realize it was a dream. However, it remained vivid enough that he continued to wonder.

_He was home, but it was not a home he recognized, and if it was, the memory was too hazy for him to decipher. He called out for his mother, his father, and his sister. He called out for his friends. Either way there was no response from anything except for the ever shifting being hidden behind a cloak in front of him. He called out to the sitting veiled figure and finally got a response. It always did when he called to it. It turned to him and smiled its coy smile, the rest of its face hidden in the shadow of the cowl. It spoke, but nothing that he could understand, and it was frustrating._

"_I don't understand you!" he cried, stamping his foot on the cold stone floor. For some reason he could move no further than a few inches. It was as if there was a barrier between him and the being. The creature tittered, rising from its seat and motioning behind him. He could see the outline of its body and figured from the curves that it was a woman._

"_You are going east?" It asked; its smile widened. When he did not respond its joyful look faltered some, "Come now, you forgot already, boy?"_

"_No," he said finally, "but my name isn't boy…"_

"_Then what is it, my little friend?"_

'_Little?' he asked himself, and looked down at himself. He did not seem to have shrunk significantly, but he indeed felt younger now that it mentioned it. "Bakura Ryou," he answered solidly._

_The woman/creature let out a laugh that sounded more like a thousand people crying. Bakura cringed at this, backing away as far as he could, which was not to say much; it seemed there was a barrier there as well. "I know you very well; I didn't need you to respond," It said, "I'm surprised you don't remember me…"_

"_What?" he asked confused, and the world darkened around him immediately. The thing disappeared and he felt the insane realization that it was going to repeat itself. It had done so already, and it would do so again unless he woke up, unless…_

_There was light in the edge of his peripheral vision, one that he never turned to but felt as if it was him waking up; a light that would make him realize he could pull out of this dream at any time, but never feel that he had completed it. This time however, he did, knowing this dream would never stop until he found what was making all of that light._

_A girl he recognized immediately waved to him and smiled. His heart swelled with a painful joy and he ran to her, forgetting about any barriers that held him. It was as if they had never existed at all. The girl raced up to him and he collapsed in her arms, a tearful mess. She sat and rested his head in her lap as he let his sobs of sadness and frustrations overwhelm him. It seemed like hours before he stopped, but when he looked up her face had not changed its warm welcome._

"_You've always been a crybaby," she said, her tone jovial, "but really Ryou kun…"_

"_I've missed you so much!" he choked, wrapping her in a tight hug._

"_Yes, yes…I know…"she said soothingly, "and we both know that this is a dream." Her finality made all emotions within him stop._

"_A dream?" he asked, and the realization burned him, "just a dream…"_

"_Ryou kun, I know life has been difficult for you, and I know you miss me; I miss you, too!" she exclaimed, returning his forceful hug, "I wish I could stand there beside you, instead of hoping that you'll feel me."_

"_What is happening to me, Amane?" Bakura asked, "I've never felt like this…I've felt useless before, I've felt like I've been going crazy, but never to this extent…"_

_Amane looked down at him and frowned. "You've been through a lot," she started, "and I'm sure that whatever happened when you were experimented on can be attributed to it. But Ryou, I'm not here so we can catch up, I'm not here period. In your dreams, yes, but the place in the world that you live in is not a good conductor for spiritual manifestation."_

"_What are you here for, then?" the boy cried, "Am I just trying to make myself crazy?"_

_The girl raised her hand and Bakura closed his mouth. "I'm here to give you, how do I put this, a slap in the face," she said bluntly. He gave her a confused look and her smile returned. "You've been through a lot," she repeated, "but so has someone else." Waving her hand in front of them, it seemed as if the dream opened up into reality. Bakura was now standing in front of his old bed with Amane beside him pointing down at the huddled mound._

"_He has been through a lot too, and you took care of him even when you didn't have to," she continued, "But that means he depends on __you__ now, and no matter how sad or useless you feel, you have to take care of him. So, first off," she spun him towards her, "enough with scaring him. If he sees you do something weird, talk to him about it. He hasn't dealt with spirits or anything like that until you arrived in his life. Secondly, remember your dreams have always pointed you to important things, but be VERY careful, while you will see me, and I promise you where you are headed it's the perfect place to see me, don't trust everything you hear. And thirdly," she rose her hand again to silence him, "and thirdly, remember this. I love you nii sama, and I have never left your side. We are twins, and we will do everything together, and that includes reaching the other side. So talk to me all you want, but remember, D needs you more than I do." She paused for a moment, looking again at the boy, "He's a real sweetie, and I hope I haven't scared him too much, I just wanted to share with him; tell him I'm sorry if I have."_

_Bakura watched her for a few more moments, knowing that it was time for their goodbyes. "I love you, Amane," he said, hugging her._

"_I love you too, Ryou," she replied, and pulled away, "Remember what I said."_

And this time Bakura woke up feeling groggy, but contented in the darkness of the early morning.

D however tossed and twisted within his sheets, waving his hands at something unseen as if to ward it off. The parasite being in his left hand awoke with a start as it was slammed unceremoniously on the edge of the desk beside the bed. Taking over the arm so as not to cause further pain to itself it turned to snap at the boy but held its tongue. There was something beside them.

_D raised his head to better see over the ledge that hid him. The creature stood there, taller than his father and with red eyes that did not shine with a sad yet hopeful curiosity, but a malicious, hateful glee. It turned, a black mass against the already dark background, and spotted him. Its mouth split open into a wicked grin, its sharpened teeth all too obvious with their pearl white opacity. The boy gave a small cry and ducked down, backing as far as he could into the brick behind him. He did not want whatever it was to find him, and under the logic of dreams that children follow, he did not believe it would if he stayed there. He was now hidden._

_He heard the beast pass him, its ever changing shape creating a painful chorus of footsteps to his ears. There was clacking of high heels, thumps of the biggest dinosaur, clocking of boots, squeaks of rubber soles on tiles, patter of unprotected children's feet. D covered his ears to give them peace, but even with all the force against them he could still hear the noise as clear as if he had not bothered. It was in front of him now, passing the barrier on the left side, its tail swinging in slow sweeping motions trying to flush him out of the darkness that molded into obscure shapes before bubbling into nothingness. D removed his hands from his ears to cover his mouth when the sharp looking appendage streaked by him, barely missing the tip of his nose. He shook with fear. He was a brave boy; there could be no contest to that, but the being that was manifesting before him made his skin crawl, his eyes water in pain, and he could not help but squeak as the thing's tail swept by him again. He forced himself to keep his eyes open, however, and was alarmed at how quickly it disappeared into the darkness. When he first had seen it, it had lumbered around with slow plotted steps, now it seemed to almost slither with the way it sped off into shadow. D listened careful for the footsteps to fade before letting out a shaky breath. He turned his head each way to make sure nothing else was around before standing up and dusting off the seat of his pants._

_Something behind him tapped his shoulder and he shrieked, spinning around. The same eyes greeted him, however at his level instead of the massive height from before. The teeth in this smile were straight and humanlike, but the canines continued to have pronounced points. The boy stood in silent terror as the being (for now it looked at least somewhat human) hoisted itself on the ledge, patting the empty space beside it in a welcoming gesture for him to sit. He remained where he was, wondering if he was dreaming. It was the only explanation he could think for this strangeness, but he did not recall ever falling asleep. The cold surrounding him did not help, everything felt real, even the brick had when he had hidden from the larger monster had its usual corrosive surface._

"_Sit," the personified darkness said, its red eyes burning into his, "Come, don't be rude."_

_D sat where the being motioned him to, trying to regain some control over himself. Even in a dream, he should not be rude. Should he? He was not too sure; it had certainly scared him, and this was his dream. Was it a dream? He eyed the creature with distrust. The voice that had come from its mouth had been that of a child's. Was it trying to get to him that way?_

"_Who are you?" the boy demanded._

"_Funny," it stated, "I should be asking that question, you are the one in my home."_

"_Your home?" he asked, more to himself. He could not imagine ever wanting to live in this darkness. The boy liked the dark, but this felt almost painful, as if he was being drained of some vital energy that kept him animated._

"_Questions, questions…you are a curious boy, aren't you?" The thing inquired, its smile widening to an impossible size, "I will tell you something, boy; our discussion must be short. I know you want answers, and I want some too. We'll trade what we know, and that will be all. Let's not argue. I don't want anything bad to have to happen to one of your kind."_

"_What does that mean?" D responded, "Are you threatening me?"_

"_Me? No!" the childlike creature exclaimed, abashed, "I just want answers. I'd play games with you too, but I don't want you to get hurt. You see, this world…but I'm sure you can feel what it does, right?"_

_D watched the thing's face contort into something that was supposed to look sad, its perfect child nose wrinkling, the eyebrows furrowing. Its smile shrank and became a disquieted frown. It was remarkable that he could see its ink-like skin against the blackened background, and it was remarkable in how honest the reaction looked, but the creatures eyes continued to look at him with unheard laughter. "I suppose," he replied._

"_You couldn't last ten minutes in here, I'm afraid. No one can, except for me, and things like me, oh, and that one other boy, funny child he is, but I can rarely find him and he's moping around half the time."_

"_Sounds like my mother…" D mumbled, and the creature nodded._

"_I don't doubt; you look as though you haven't seen a real smile in ages."_

_D frowned, looking away. "That's not true."_

"_Well, I'm just saying," the creature said, shrugging._

"_You still haven't answered any of my questions," D snapped, and was surprised at how pleasantly the thing took his anger. It giggled, which was strange in the boy's opinion, and placed a cold hand on his shoulder._

"_This is my home, and it really is no place for a child such as you, no matter how tied to the darkness you are. What brought you here, if I may ask before answering the other question?"_

_D shrugged, wishing the thing would take its hand off of him. Its fingers gripped his shoulder with a familiarity that he did not understand, its sharp, elongated nails nearly caressing his skin. "I fell asleep, that's all."_

_The thing tilted its head in confusion. "Well that's not how this usually goes, but then again," it smiled at him and D realized the figure was becoming lighter in color and a robe of sorts was covering its body, "I usually don't talk to the souls who wander in here."_

"_What do you do, then?"_

"_I eat them."_

_D stiffened noticeably and the creature-child began a heaving fit of laughter. It slapped its leg; its eyes squeezed shut, its body rocked from the force. Slapping his back with good humor the thing wiped a nonexistent tear from one of its glittering red eyes as it gasped for the dark air surrounding them. "You are rich kiddo! Rich! Like I would eat you! Oh, I haven't had this kind of a laugh in years!"_

"_Why um…not that I don't appreciate it, and I really do," D stammered, losing some of his composure, "why wouldn't you eat me?"_

"_Because of what I said before, you silly moose," it stated, standing and giving him a little curtsey bow, "I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to your kind. You just saved me a hell of a lot of work…a hell of a lot of work." It tittered and flounced away from him, "I can't say I totally agree with your father's methods, but by golly to your supposed god, I have a chance to do what I've wanted to do for YEARS."_

"_And what is that?" D asked, noticing that he was feeling a bit sluggish as he tried to follow the childlike thing._

"_Well, walk the earth with my own two feet is one of them," it stated, and D was beginning to realize it was taking the shape of a young girl with messy hair and fair skin, "although what I'll look like there I'll never probably know. You've noticed I change my mind rather often in what I want to look like? Well, of course you have. You aren't blind. You could see me when I was supposed to be hidden, well, aside from my eyes. The second part is to balance your good for nothing planet. Of course, a few years back I admit I went a little overboard; I'm a jealous being you know. Jealous and envious; and chaotic! But he loves me, or at least wants me…"_

"_Who does?"_

"_The boy, who else?"_

_D looked around, confused. "You mentioned him before, but who is he?"_

"_He is the darkness," the creature said with a soft sigh, "and his loyalty is only second best to his cunning."_

_D shivered; it seemed the darkness was getting to him finally. "What is his relation to you?"_

"_What is his relation to you?" It asked in return, "To me, he is my left hand man, close to the heart, or where a heart should be. He is also my master as I am his."_

"_I don't know him…" D replied, confused once again. "Who is he?"_

"_He is the darkness."_

"_Then who are you?"_

"_I am…" It smiled, "whatever you want me to be, boy." It waved its arms and curtseyed. "Now you must go. I will speak to you again, someday." _

_D shouted something that he did not recall although he knew it was directed to the being but the creature disappeared none the less and darkness became the only thing he could see. He fought against his overwhelming exhaustion to see further into the murky shadows trying to find it and screamed. The huge monster had returned out of nowhere, and it was charging him, it was going to eat him, it was going to—_

D awoke from his dream with a start, finishing his strange flail by sitting straight up in bed. He gasped for air, clean, open air, and turned to look around the room to see that he was there, in Bakura's old bed, at home, and not in some strange place where people wanted to eat your soul. He was calming down when out of the corner of his eye he caught a tall dark mass. Without thinking he screamed, and pushed himself out of the bed in the opposite direction, crashing with an unaccustomed clumsiness onto the ground. He raised his hands up in protection before peeping between his fingers to get a better look at the being.

"What?" The young man asked sleepily, rubbing at his eyes. D gawked at Bakura as he shuffled over to the boy, and could not close his mouth when the man picked him up to put him back onto the bed. Bakura stared at him for a moment, unsure of what he was seeing, and then a confused smile graced his face, quelling the boy's rapidly beating heart and allowing for his jaw to answer to his commands.

"What were you doing there?" D asked, shaking his head, "You scared me."

"I think I sleepwalked," Bakura answered, "I'm sorry if I scared you."

"You do that a…" D covered his mouth, hoping that the man was still too much asleep to have been able to hear it coherently.

"Yeah," Bakura said, sitting next to the boy and pulling him in a half embrace, "I've been doing it a lot, you don't have to hide it D kun. I may not remember it, but I know I have been." The boy shrugged in the man's arms and Bakura held him a little tighter. "I want you to know, if I ever scare you, or if I ever do something that you want to talk about, don't be afraid to talk to me about it. I've been…stupid. Stupid and over emotional, and unwilling to talk about things that were probably going to be brought up anyway. So if you have anything, please tell me."

D eyed him for a moment, unsure whether to speak or not and when the man gave him his welcoming smile, he knew it was okay. "About the card—"

"That we should probably discuss a little later in the day, or later on, I'm not quite sure how to explain that one yet."

"Oh," D replied, twiddling his thumbs. "Can we play Monster World before you go to work today?"

Bakura looked at him, surprised, and his smile widened. "Sure."

So early on that morning, while the rest of Domino slept, Bakura and D played Monster World. D had gained a few levels before succumbing to the basic beginner's mistake of going after the main boss too early. Bakura laughed good naturedly at his oversight, and taught him what might have been one of the most important lessons he would ever learn in his long life: when dealing with a stronger opponent, patience is key.


	11. Water

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! nor do I own Vampire Hunter D.

Be prepared for this chapter, as said in Fallout 3, "it's like downing a handful of sugar and punching yourself in the head". Which is to say, even if it isn't seasonally right in the chapter, this is a perfect squishylove fest for Christmas. Believe me, after these next few chapters, it will be necessary for it to have been there.

And Aldedron, if you want to, I would be honored if you would be my beta reader. To everyone, thank you all for the reviews! I'm sorry it took so long...

Merry Christmas !~

Chapter Ten: Water

It was never ending, this stretch of blue. The white of the surf beckoned to the other children, promising a salty and cool envelope of liquid, a chance to be children of the world again. They ran gaily through the sand, kicking up the minute flecks of rock and shell as their excitement got the better of them. There were surprised screams as the water touched their warm skin, freezing them only for a few moments before they continued to trudge through the surf, the shock of the cold subsiding. They knew where it was safe to go, they had done this before. A lone, broken piece of dock had been anchored to the bottom of the sea floor by an adult so they could all rest at the finish point or eat their lunches amidst the sea air. The sun shined through the clouds that had sprinkled them with summer rain only a few days ago. Rain that thankfully had not been irradiated, although the children did not know or care about this little bit of information. Everything was perfect.

Or so it should have been.

A lone boy stood at the edge of the water, watching as the waves sucked themselves down and then threw themselves back against the sand, chasing his feet as he backed away from it. A bath was one thing; a shower had been one thing as well. He watched the children bob around in the water, laughing and squealing as waves moved them from one side to another. He glanced back at the small congregation of adults, some who watched him with pity. One gave him an understanding nod and motioned for him to go forward. He turned back to the ocean and took a deep breath, tasting the salty air. Taking a small step forward as the water receded he fought the urge to back away when his foot sunk down into the soaking sand. He managed another step before his heart began to pound frantically in his chest and he stopped, balling his hands into fists to hide his shaking hands. The boy could not swim. What was worse was that he had no idea if he would have enough energy to kick when he got out into the deeper water.

A wave crashed against his legs and his face twitched involuntarily as his body temperature plummeted significantly. It was as if he were back in that strange dream where the darkness sucked the very life out of you. He looked back again and the person who had motioned him on crossed the beach at the protest of another man who he knew as his principal to possibly (hopefully) aid him.

"D kun," Bakura said, crouching to the boy's height, "You'll be fine. I'm right here."

"What if I sink?" D whispered, hearing the other man coming toward them, "What if I get heavy? What if I can't move?"

"You never know until you try, D kun," the man urged patiently, "We've talked about this. Now go on, you're doing fine."

D nodded, and began to walk out into the darker water, ignoring the cold and the voices that the wind carried to him. The children had noticed his insecurity and some of the boys sniggered as he took slow, careful steps toward them. He gasped when he felt the water lap against his waist and his body was sent into a shivering mess. Closing his eyes, the boy tried to forget about what he was doing, just like he had been able to do when his father had taken him under the knife. 'Water should not be as bad as that', he told himself, 'It is only a liquid for goodness sake!'

"D kun?" he heard someone call softly and he opened his eyes to see his friend Amami standing just a little ways in front of him, the water reaching her chest. She gave him a small smile but when he did not return the gesture it disappeared. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I," he began, well aware of the stares from both sides that he was receiving, "I can't swim."

Her face brightened immediately. "I'll help you," she stated, wading to him. D shook his head and took a step back. "Come here."

"Thank you, but I…wave!" He exclaimed, pointing behind her. She looked back with a confused look and an unusually large wave carried her up. D yelped and pushed himself backwards, turning halfway before the wave smacked into him causing him to tumble in the water. He felt Amami's leg hit him in the back of the head and he opened his eyes in surprise. The world was a soupy green mixture and he only had a brief moment of realization that his body was still somersaulting in the water before he felt his forehead hit the sand with a thud. It was harder than he had thought it would have been.

Bakura had heard D shout "wave!" while he was in mid sentence with Honda. He had just been explaining that D was not used to the idea of swimming and that he had just needed a gentle push to get him going. Honda thought that the boy needed to find the courage within himself in order for him to begin the learning process to which Bakura had mentioned that unlike the other children who did not know how to swim D had been thrown out there without any flotation devices. Honda had rebutted by saying he did not want to embarrass the boy, and Bakura had been about to state that it was more embarrassing to not have them in the beginning only to get them later on when he had heard the shout. He jerked his head toward the ocean to see Amami flail and fall into the water with a loud splash. He did not see D.

Some of the parents chuckled as if it had just been a pleasant surprise, and the other children continued their games without much thought. Amami resurfaced and made her way up to the beach coughing and laughing all the way. She turned to say something to the boy she had been trying to help, and stopped. He was not there beside her. She looked around first confused, and then fearful.

"Where's D?" Bakura asked, interrupting his own sentence. Honda looked up and followed the man's gaze.

"I don't know," he replied, "do you think he finally went in?"

"No," Bakura replied, running down to where the girl was pacing back and forth calling out for the boy. Some of the children stopped playing and watched as the girl frantically waved her arms about, yelling. The other group on land began to stir, a few made their way down the beach to see what the commotion was about. Suddenly, the white haired man ran into the ocean, clothes and all and the beach became a conglomeration of confusion and panic.

D felt his fingers touch the grainy sand and dug his fingers into the ground. He dared to open his eyes again, the water stinging them as he did so, and watched as a cloud of sandy particles drifted toward the surface. He sluggishly turned to see the partially uncovered sun shine above him. He was freezing and he wanted to do nothing more than sleep. The water flowed past him, pulling him to deeper depths no matter how far he tried to force his hand under the sand. With a powerful pull from the undertow D's fingers found themselves clawing at cloudy water and D had to close his eyes again, the stinging too great. His lungs burned for air. Opening his eyes, once again ignoring their protesting tears (much good they did him here) he looked back toward the surface wondering how far he had been pulled into the water, or how long he had been down there. It could not have been too long, his mind cried this logic; otherwise he would have been dead.

He could hear the thudding splashes of people in the distance and he knew that he had probably strayed away from the "safe zone" (to which he mentally laughed at, his sarcasm still intact) and if he did not find a way, or at least crawl his way to the surface, he would be dead in the next twenty seconds or so. He could feel his body wanting to give up and expel the stale air in his lungs, but he would not allow it. He was not going to die.

Struggling to get his body into action, he maneuvered his feet under him and looked up once again. He could still see the sun, so he knew he was not too far down, but it was fainter than the first time he had noticed it. It could have been due to cloud cover, but D had noticed the water around him had become cooler and the pressure on his ears greater; he was probably, no, at least twenty feet underwater, the water had calmed and even though he had sunk this entire way, he could feel buoyancy trying to work it's magic on his body. Closing his eyes and begging for this chance to work D propelled himself from his starting point in a diagonal direction towards the shallow end.

"D!" Bakura cried, getting a mouthful of saltwater. He gagged and had to stop swimming; his stomach threatened again to release its contents. Coughing, he looked around anxiously hoping he would see something that would lead him to D. He knew it was going to be nearly impossible to find him if the tide got any more choppy. Thinking of this, he knew that he would never forgive himself if D had drowned trying to do what he had been asked. Bakura wiped at his eyes roughly and forced himself to concentrate. He was D's protector.

A faint splash caught his eye about four meters away from the spot he was treading water. Hope filled him and he swam with renewed gusto.

D had felt the air sting at his cold fingers and he expelled the air from his lungs in a cry of excitement and horror. He was nearly at the top, but he could feel himself sinking again. Flailing against the current, the boy willed himself to reach the top. Then out of nowhere a hand pushed him further into the water and pulled him promptly back up with strength he had not expected. Cold yet warm sea air whipped at D's face and he gasped, filling his lungs with oxygen, only to begin a coughing fit. He choked and retched, coughing all the while as he was dragged back to the beach where his mostly numb feet staggered over the gritty floor before his legs gave out, and he was half lifted and half dragged up onto the dry sand. A small crowd surrounded them and in his delirium he heard them bark questions at his savior.

"Is he okay?"

"What happened?"

"I told you this wasn't a good idea to let someone who couldn't swim try here first."

"Well," someone else retorted, "you want him to swim in the drained pool?"

"Anywhere, even the bathtub, would have been a better start!" was the response.

"Are you alright kiddo?" a woman said, moving closer to him. His saviors arm motioned for the woman to go back.

"Give him some air, please," a soft, familiar voice said. D looked up, finally able to breathe regularly, and saw the strong, if not slightly feminine face of his friend. His hair was soaking wet and his clothes clung to his lean frame. Suddenly D felt such an embarrassment that he hid his face against the man's chest, wishing he could just disappear. He had failed him, again.

As the light of late summer receded into a palate of red, deep orange, and fiery yellow, Bakura sat on the ledge of his balcony, watching the clouds float lazily past the buildings, apparently deep in thought. D had finally risen from his bed, having slept the rest of the day away after his ordeal, and was examining him from the far end of the living room. The young man turned, finally noticing the boy was there, and beckoned for him to join. D scuffed his feet against the carpet as he came, wishing the man had not noticed him, so his shame could remain hidden.

"Are feeling better?" Bakura asked, and took a sip from his tea cup. D blinked, not realizing that the man had the cup in the first place. Bakura smiled and offered his hand to the boy who took it and was lifted onto the ledge. D looked down, counting each story and marveled at the fact that Bakura was sitting in such a precarious place. It was unlike him.

"I suppose," the boy replied halfheartedly, "I feel kind of dumb though."

"Why is that?" the man asked, offering the child a drink. D took it and drank the liquid, making a disgusted face as it went down. Bakura laughed.

"I'm sorry. I forgot to put sugar in it."

D looked at him and then down back at the cup of tea, watching the stained water slosh against the sides as he jiggled the cup in his hand. Bakura waited for him to say something, but the boy remained silent. They sat this way for a solid hour, D sipping and then swirling the tea in his cup while Bakura stared off into the night sky, now bright with the moon and stars. Finally, after the chill of the night began to snake its ice-like fingers through what was left of the once proud city, the white haired man turned to the boy again, who instead of drinking the last bit of tea had been swirling it around the bottom of the cup letting it reach an unappetizing temperature.

"Something on your mind?" Bakura asked.

D shrugged. The man watched him for another period of silence that befell them, and then sighed, nodding. The child looked up with sad and expecting eyes. He figured what was coming. Once again, however, he was happily wrong.

"You don't have to feel stupid." Soft brown eyes searched the depths of the dark pools in front of them, understanding the feeling; that feeling of being inadequate. "You tried. That's all I asked for, and if you don't want to try again, I understand completely."

D looked back into the dregs of his tea cup. "I'm still a failure."

"No you aren't. I think it probably would have been better to give you some sort of floa—"

"No!" D snapped, and Bakura heard the cup creak in the boy's hands, swore he could almost see the hairline fracture that the unintended force produced. "I should be able to do this by now. I've always been good right away. I can't do it. I'm a failure!"

Bakura tentatively touched the child's hand, and the boy's grip loosened immediately. The cup slipped from his limp fingers and smashed onto the ground, the last of the tea spreading out and being soaked up by the dry concrete. D looked at the ceramic remains as if it had appeared out of thin air and then up at Bakura, prepared to make a surprised apology. The words locked in his throat however, and he just stared in wonder as the man's smile broadened.

"It's impossible to be the best at everything," Bakura said, "Impossible. If that were the case, then there would be nothing to be proud of, no great accomplishment that no one else had done before because someone would have done it already."

"Pride is bad," D said, his words weak to his ears, "That's what my caretaker said back in the…"

"To be honest with you, D kun, I could care less what your 'caretaker' had to say. Too much pride can be your downfall; it's true, because you don't see situations from all other angles. How about I rephrase it: don't be proud, but respect yourself for being able to do something, and don't beat yourself up if you can't do something well, or at all. The fact that it affects you so much is because it hurt your pride."

The child's face showed his surprise, and then contorted into shame. Bakura sighed and then held him to his chest. "I'm not trying to hurt your feelings, D kun. You just need to understand that I'm not angry at you, and you did nothing wrong."

"I'm not normal," the boy whispered, feeling the wind of his words hit the man and billow back onto his face, warming his cheeks.

"And neither am I," Bakura replied, stroking the boy's hair. "You don't have to be something other than human to be so different from the people around you. The most you can do is simple…just do your best and be a good person." The boy did not reply, but stayed with the man until it was time for curfew, and they both went to their respective rooms.

D looked up at the ceiling for a long time, watching as the light of the moon changed its course through his window. His arms were crossed behind his head, and he could not recall ever feeling so awake at night before (he figured it was due to his prolonged nap earlier in the day). His ears picked up the rustling of long forgotten garbage on the street as the wind kicked it out of its hiding place. He heard Bakura's light snores in the other room, remembering that just nights before they had been in a similar position. D shifted, his view changing from the ceiling to the bright starlight of the night sky. They twinkled beautifully, and as he shifted again, this time to stand, he wondered if souls were like stars. Did some shine brightly with light? Did others, like stars long past their time loose some of their shine as years went on? And what of those who became one with darkness? Did their souls become like the black holes that a dying star could create, sucking in the light around them to create only the never ending darkness of space? What was his soul like? He shivered, remembering his dream of the child of darkness, and the monster that came with it. It had said that it could have eaten his soul, but it didn't want to. If that was the case, then did that mean he was some sort of kindred spirit to that creature? The boy shook his head, trying to rid himself of such strange thoughts.

He continued to look at the sky for a time, listening to the dark music of the night, the lonely whispers, the sighs of the ocean to the east. It gave him a strange pang of nostalgia and wondered if he truly belonged here. Did he belong to a place that ignored the magic within itself, and that had been ill prepared for the devastation they were to create, or did he belong as a science project to a culture that realized and learned of its mystical prowess through the powers of science? So many questions filled his mind that night. So much had been left unasked when Bakura had stolen him away from that cold, sterile place. Finally, with a heavy heart, D redressed in jeans and a baggy gray sweater and made his way to the front door, looking into the darkened room that held his best friend. The boy sighed and opened the door, knowing the man would not wake up, and stepped into the corridor, and a few moments later, into the night.

The sea was different at night, a dark unwelcoming beast that snapped at all those who roamed its cold, pale beaches. The moon was high with its brilliance, and the light caused the sand to become a shining silver sliver of land. The rare plant that sprung from the ground nearest the cliffs grew quietly, waiting for the sun to appear again so they could take in the light once more. It was two different perspectives paired beside each other, one welcoming cold, the other a deadly creature, waiting for those who would dare step into its maw unattended. They met with loud crashes, and in the end the dark water would always prevail in stripping the beach of some of its sediment. It was just above this line that the boy sat, silently staring into the east.

"What are you thinking?" A disembodied voice came to the boy's ear and he looked down only for a moment to where his left hand hung over his knees. The boy did not reply; he only turned his head back toward the ocean, deep in thought.

"So you are just another failure!" The parasite cried with as much sympathy as glee. "Maybe you'll be left alone; you know that it's strange that he hasn't shown up yet. It's not like we traveled very far."

Again it seemed like its words fell on deaf ears. D continued to stare, ignoring the cold that seemed to be seeping into everything around him. The moon slipped behind a lazy cloud that refused to move more than a few inches with each gust, causing the world to become a blanket of deep gray. D's eyes did not adjust to the lack of light, they did not need to. Nothing had changed in his eyes. The dark mass that called back the dream he so wanted to forget continued to churn before him, beckoning, daring. The east disappeared into a line of water, and the stars that peaked through the returning cloud cover seemed to watch him with their twinkling light.

"You could always leave you know," the hand added, "go back if that is your real problem. You really don't fit in here, you'd probably do better as a pampered ex—"

D's stoic facial expression twisted for a split second, and he shoved the offending hand deep into the sand. His features relaxed, although they did not quite pass pouting as he looked down at the buried appendage. He let it sit there as he returned to his thoughts. The boy had been prideful, but from what Bakura had said, it was not such a horrible thing. He recalled his hand saying something along the lines of "religious kook" about that particular caretaker. D only knew that certain religious items would hurt to touch, not that it was unbearable, but it usually did leave some form of a nasty burn, or so his father had said. Religion was something he did not quite grasp yet.

For an hour he left his hand in the sand and his mind wandered over the past months and the years before it. A boy born into a family that he did not ask for, a mother who loved him, but hated his father more, and a father that seemed to adore him for reasons that the boy never could quite grasp. The child that always wanted to see the world as it was, outside as well as in, the boy who loved the light as much as it pained him, the boy who would try things that were not meant for his kind because he was different. He was just different, too different for anybody but his family to love him, if it was Love; and then a boy that had been stolen away from the world he had known by a lonely young man who felt that the child was not being cared for properly. It felt surreal as he sat on that beach, the demolished world behind him, and he wondered for how long his life had seemed like a dream to him, waking only when he was asleep, or at moments when he was just alone. He wondered if Bakura would understand, and with a realization that was so obvious that it seemed to click in his mind like the last puzzle piece of a jigsaw the boy stood. On his face was a curious expression and for the first time he felt a warmth in his heart that had always seemed as if it had been covered by some cup to hold in the heat until it faded away. It was just an understanding.

The boy slid off his shoes and pulled off his sweater, the cold air waking him up further. Glancing back at the skeletons of a once great city, he pulled off his shirt and tossed it with the rest of his discarded clothes. He then turned his full attention to the monster in front of him. It seemed less threatening now, as if it knew what he was preparing to do. The sand squealed underneath his feet; he felt taller, stronger, and more ready than he had ever felt about anything in his life.

"I am not a failure," D answered to the parasite living in his hand, "I'm just a boy. I am not an experiment. I'm just a boy. I hate my father, I realize that now. I hate him and I pity him. I do not think I know how to love, but I know what love feels like now." He stopped at the edge, where the sand met the water and took in a deep breath of the salty air. "And you can say whatever you like, I don't care. I am going to swim."

"But you can't!" his hand screeched, finally shaken from its haughty nature for once, "You're gonna get us both killed!"

D shrugged. "Maybe," he replied, "but I want to learn." And he ran into the waves.

Bakura rolled over in his bed, his covers escaping his pitiful excuse for a tug, and he shivered in his sleep. A weight made the spot in front of him sink and he began to tip in that direction until he righted himself, breaking out of his sleep. Opening his eyes, he blinked back the bleary view until the dark shape in front of him turned into a young boy. A very wet looking young boy.

The young man bolted up, but the child did not move. His long hair was matted against his head, but in the dawn's light he could see a few drying hairs peeking up. He brought a hand to the smaller one that had pressed into the bed and felt icy fingers squiggle beneath his touch.

"D kun! Why are you all wet? And why are you so cold?" he asked, worried. The boy shook his head a little, unintentionally splattering him with water in the process.

"I learned how to swim!" the child cried jovially, spreading his arms wide. Bakura could swear the child was bursting to say Ta-dah! A strange smile played on Bakura's lips as he processed the situation.

"And how, pray tell, did you do that?"

"I…swam?"

"Where?" Bakura's eyebrow rose as he asked.

"In the ocean, but that doesn't matter," the child said quickly.

The young man's eyes bulged. "What do you mean it doesn't matter? You could have drowned!"

D laughed, and it caught Bakura off guard. "Thank you," the boy said softly.

Bakura blinked. "Thank you for what?"

"For caring about me," D replied, crawling into the man's lap. Bakura wrapped his arms around the boy and tried to warm him.

"Well, of course I care about you D kun…" Bakura said, hugging the boy close, "You're like family to me…you are my family."

D looked up at him and smiled, and Bakura swore that it was the biggest smile he had ever seen the boy wear.

Bakura never forgot that it was he who had made the boy smile like that.


	12. And the Die is Rolled Again

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Vampire Hunter D. So there.

I want to thank Aldedron very much for becoming my beta reader; she has been awesome beyond all awesomeness. Thank her for the chapter you're about to read, she's the reason that it was possible to upload in such a timely fashion! Not to mention, responsible for something that D says later on in the chapter, making later chapters far more interesting, in my opinion.

Now read and enjoy!

Chapter Eleven: And The Die is Rolled Again

"I've decided to help the wandering traveler," D stated, removing his thumb from his mouth, which he had been chewing on the nail in thought, to be clear. "You have nothing to worry about; we will return your family's great treasure to you."

'"Thank you,' says the traveler, 'I promise you I will reward you when you find it! I will wait here for your return.'"

D cocked his head and glanced at the girl sitting beside him. She shrugged with an 'I have no clue' expression on her face. He gave her a small smile and nodded. "We will be out shortly," he said, "We are going to move into the forest now."

Fingers raced over a small keyboard, and then stopped abruptly after hitting the enter button; a nod. "There is a fifty percent chance of being attacked in this particular forest. You can roll when you are ready."

"Not bad odds considering," the girl replied, giggling, "That's at least what my big brother would say. It's my turn to roll." She shook the dice in between both hands and tossed them. They clacked against the wood and spun their dance of chance. Both she and D watched intently as they slowed and then stopped. Upon looking at the numbers the girl groaned, and it was D's turn to shrug.

"I'm gonna die, D-kun, if this keeps up!" she cried in exasperation.

"Don't worry, Amami-chan," the boy stated, "Remember that we went to the village and bought some healing potions after the last battle. I'll watch your back."

"My hero!" the girl cried, hugging him. D at first looked uncomfortable, but then he chuckled and patted her on the back.

"So how many do we have to fight this time, Dark Master?" D asked as Amami let go of him.

It had been two weeks since D's near drowning incident and life did not seem like it could get better in the boy's mind. Nor was it any different in Bakura's. D had grown into a sort of a chatterbox toward the people he trusted fully (while this group only consisted of Bakura and Amami, it was a start) and was faring well in school, getting used to the life of a child out of a sterile compound. His hand had not bothered him over this period of time either. They had even held a civil conversation with one another concerning their situation. Bakura continued his work without any other incidents; in fact it seemed there were less raiding parties than ever when they went out. All of the leaders of each 'party' had held a meeting with Kaiba, and all seemed well. There was even a chance that they would open their doors to stragglers again, now that the guards were not as harried. As the end of that meeting wound down, someone had made a suggestion that a celebration be held between all of the Domino City factions "for still being around!" as they put it. At first Kaiba had thought it was pointless, but Mokuba stated that it may be a wonderful idea to keep morale up. In the end Kaiba agreed, and it was a reminder to all how influential Mokuba could still be. Life was turning out to be pretty good considering the situation.

Now D and his good friend were playing Monster World, on a bright Sunday afternoon, a game that Bakura was continuing to teach them. D had helped Amami create a character, and Bakura spending a good half of the night had created a little figurine for her. She needless to say, had been pleased. Bakura had surprised D with his own figurine the week before, and both the human warrior and the elven mage stood on the field that day, awaiting the reply of the Dark Master.

"You are in great luck, the roll only allowed for three monsters to appear on the field. You have the first attack if you can roll it."

"Yeah, that's perfect luck," the girl said, pouting. She grabbed the dice again and was about to roll until they heard a knock on the front door. All of them stopped what they were doing and listened. There was another knock on the door and Bakura stood to answer it after saving their progress.

A man stood on the other side of the door with an apologetic smile on his face. Bakura returned the smile and beckoned for him to enter. "Amami-chan, your father is here to pick you up."

"Awwww!" He heard a dual cry come from the other room and could not help but snicker.

"Daddy, do I have to?" Amami said, poking her head from around the corner, "I was just about to rescue the wandering traveler's treasure!"

The man chuckled. "It will still be there when you visit again," he said, and turned to Bakura, "thank you for watching her, we appreciate it."

"It is no problem at all," Bakura replied, smiling, "I know D kun appreciates it as well."

"If you ever need us to look after him for you, we'll be more than willing to," the older man added, "A young man like you should be thinking about his own future as well as the boy he cares for."

Bakura's face felt as if it were burning. He was almost tempted to touch it to see if it was. "What?"

"Come on now, at this age only a few years ago, most boys were looking for the woman they'd be spending the rest of their life with, making their way through college, and here you are acting as a father already," the man looked out of the sliding door window and sighed, "It's a shame what happened. For everyone. Those who were old and could finally relax, those who were young and just starting their lives, and the children…they'll never really know what it was like, that freedom, that safety, even if it was fragile."

Bakura shrugged. "I believe that they will be able to grow up as children now," he started, "Even though there is still school, they don't have to worry about cram school. And our lives went from the hectic day to day pace to this slow, in a strange sense, peaceful existence. We may still be using electricity, and some of the other things, but now we can work for ourselves, be proud of what we've done when our family smiles at us, and they can relax. We're a tighter knit community now than we ever were back then, so in a strange way, the children are a little bit safer. Yes, people die, but it's a part of life."

The man looked into his eyes for a few moments and then slowly nodded. "I suppose you're right," he said, "but it still is sad. All of that loss."

"It is," Bakura replied, his heart feeling strangely heavy, as if it knew something he did not.

"But I suppose that's not important now, we should look toward the future," The man said, shrugging. Bakura nodded and smiled. The man grinned and elbowed him. "Which means anytime you need a babysitter, just ask. You have a future to look toward too."

The young man chuckled and shook his head while Amami came into the room, scuffing her slippered feet on the carpet, her lips pursed in displeasure with her lower one jutting out further than the top. D followed close behind, his face not showing his disappointment, but Bakura could see it in his eyes. 'He's just a normal little boy,' he thought, and covered his mouth to hide a secretive, pleased smile.

"Can I come back tomorrowww?" Amami half asked, half begged.

"We'll see. If you continue to act like that, it may not be so. Now come on, say good bye. It's not like it's the last time you are going to see them."

Amami turned to D and pulled him into a tight hug. D's mouth opened in shock and the girl giggled when she saw his reaction. "Bye, D-kun," she said, and her good humor left almost as quickly as it had appeared, "You'll have to play the hero later."

"See you soon," D replied, clearing his throat. "And you can count on it."

Amami nodded and with that she and her father left. D wandered over to the balcony as Bakura made sure the game was completely saved and cleaned up any messes. Watching them leave the building, D tugged on one of his long sleeves, lost in thought. The sun shone brightly, making the city look almost alive once again. In the distance, if the boy were to look to the north, he would have been able to see a small congregation wandering down the empty road, enjoying their day off. It would have been a perfect day for a festival. It was a balmy seventy degrees and not a cloud in the sky, one of the first for this particular September. D tugged again on his sleeve and then rubbed his eyes. It was a difficult transition to be so exposed to the sunlight, but so far he was handling it well. He just remained in a long sleeved T-shirt and pants for most of the day, unless it was swimming, and then he was pretty much out of luck.

"Bakura-sama?" D called, turning away from the bright scene, "Is it true that we are going to go camping with Yugi san and his family tonight?"

"Yes, and Jounochi-kun as well. How much real camping that goes on will be debatable, but we figured it would be fun for you and Etsu-chan to experience something similar."

"Even though Etsu-chan is only two years old?" D replied, amused.

Bakura came from around the hallway corner. "Yes," he said with a knowing smile, "Even though she is only two. Now come on, I know you didn't finish packing," he paused, "It was a good thing Wanatabe-san came earlier, we are going to have to leave soon if we want to go anywhere, otherwise we'll have to postpone it until next weekend."

"No," D said, almost with a begging tone. "We'll get there in time, I promise. I just need to…pack pants and stuff…"

Bakura raised an eyebrow, "Only pants and stuff? What about what I have behind my back?"

"What do…," D's eyes lit up with expectation and he hurried over to the man, "what do you have behind your back?"

The young man laughed. "It's nothing too special, and if it were any other kid your age I don't think they'd like it, but I believe that you will enjoy this." From behind him he procured a large leather bound journal. D took it and felt its weight. It was a deep brown, and even after all of the years that had passed since it had been made it still had the strong scent of leather. All around the cover was a small embroidered line of gold thread. Inside, the pages were a delicate cream color that finished the look. The pages were of decent thickness, and D estimated there to be over three hundred. On the front page, in small and elegant characters Bakura had written:

_May this bring you comfort when you cannot speak, and I am nowhere to be found._

_From ~ Bakura Ryou_

_To the one who gave me meaning ~ D_

D looked up at the man who was smiling nervously, and had to swallow hard to keep his voice from cracking.

"It's beautiful," he finally managed to say, "I…used to have a journal, I can't remember what happened to it. It was actually a spiral notebook, I had broken it so I could…I could see who was inside your room." He stopped, feeling a strange mixture of horror, love, and nostalgia. "I can really write in this?"

Bakura chuckled, pulling the boy into a firm, but still ever gentle, hug. "Yes," he started, "what would be the point in giving you this huge thing and tell you to not write in it? So you can just stare at it and think it's pretty?"

The boy hugged the man tightly, but jerked away in horror when he heard something pop. The young man blinked and stood up straight, bending his back, and smiled a little to himself. "Thanks," he said, looking down at the boy, "I didn't realize my back was so stiff."

They both laughed at that.

A little after four in the afternoon they arrived at Yugi's house. The lower half had remained as his grandfather's game shop, even if there were no more customers, and that his grandfather had died two years prior ("It was sad," Yugi had told Bakura once in private after a conference between parties, "But he died happy. The night before…he had told me that he felt he had lived a life full of more excitement than most countries.") Above this, Yugi, Anzu, their little girl Etsu, and his mother had made do with what they had been left with after the war. It was a comfortable little arrangement of rooms, and while D kept Etsu occupied with a game of rolling big dice around the room to see who could get the most sixes in a minute, Bakura could talk to Yugi, Anzu, and Jounochi without having to worry about where the boy was.

"The plan is to trek up to Kanagawa. It will be a ways, but since Kaiba was nice enough to give us and the kiddos Monday off, we'll be able to get there, fully enjoy the experience, and get back before Tuesday," Jounochi said, pointing their way out on the map that was spread out before them.

"Well, that's fine if we actually can move at your pace," Anzu interjected, "But what about Etsu-chan? She can't exactly go for two hours walking."

"Well, I figure you'd carry her."

"All the way?"

"Well expecting her to walk very far period would be a stupid idea, she's just a baby."

Yugi sighed. "We'll trade off carrying her when she's tired. I personally think she's going to love looking around a place other than our backyard. Our tree is only interesting for so long."

"And our tree bark less so," Yugi's mother quipped, bringing the circle of friends tea. "Remember that you can always leave her here with me. It's no bother."

"Mom, this is as much relaxation for you as it is an adventure for us," Yugi said, helping her distribute the cups. "Take a break; hang out with your friends."

"Sounds like something I should be telling you."

"I already am."

The group of adults laughed. Bakura raised his cup into the air. "To an experience we'll never forget."

"Hear hear!"

"I'll toast my tea to that."

"I'll miss the commotion."

"No you won't, you'll cry when we get back and ruin your perfectly clean house!"

There was another burst of laughter, and Etsu came toddling in, a big grin on her face. D walked in behind her with a strange expression on his face.

"I won, I won!" Etsu shrieked, and latched onto her father's leg.

Yugi beamed down at her. "You did!" he asked, and picked her up for a small victory dance around the room. Bakura looked at D who seemed confused. He tapped the boy on his shoulder and the child jumped in surprise.

"Did she win?" Bakura asked.

"Yeah," D replied, "I have no idea how she did it either. We played the game seven times, and every time she won. Every time."

"Get used to it," Bakura replied, chuckling, "She's Yugi's kid."

D looked more puzzled than ever and Bakura could not help but laugh harder. This was the beginning of a perfect holiday.

Twenty minutes later they were all ready to go. Yugi had Etsu by the hand and she carried a small backpack in which its insides consisted of little more than two of her favorite dolls and a box of stale animal crackers. She would not eat them any other way. Both Anzu and Bakura carried their tents and some of the cooking supplies, while Jounochi and D carried the food. D was supposed to make sure Jounochi did not eat the food, while Jounochi was supposed to make sure D did not try to steal into the pastries. They waved to Yugi's mother and began their way to the campground, Etsu setting the pace at thirty toddles a minute.

However after fifteen minutes the little girl had decided it was much more fun, as well as less strenuous on her part, to be carried by her father and his companions. D watched with amazement as the girl napped on her father's shoulder, untroubled by the persistent bouncing up Yugi had to do to keep her there. He did not think he would ever be able to sleep in that way, completely forgetting he had slept in far less comfortable positions before.

They checked out with the guard who wished them a safe trip, and the group marveled at the sight of the ocean to the east as they trekked north (Etsu had even bothered to raise her head for a second before placing it back on her father's shoulder). Bakura looked down at D who was continuously staring into the darkening waters as they walked, and nudged him a little to get his attention.

"What's on your mind?" the young man asked, but they boy only shrugged. Bakura faced forward again, a little surprised. He knew that they were in a relatively large group in D's mind, but it was unlike him to not say anything. The young man also did not like the look that was on D's face. Something was troubling him, but even though the boy's eyes were trained on the ocean, he did not think it was about the water. He had learned how to swim (although Bakura never had fully found out how), and aside from getting out of the water feeling like an ice cube every time, he seemed to like it. Bakura had also noticed he was keeping his left hand full with his backpack strap, his knuckles almost white with the pressure. He was sure that the boy would speak about it later however.

It turned out that that was not needed. At approximately five thirty, when the western sky became an ever deepening purple, Jounochi, who was at the back of the line, stopped, his head craned back and over his shoulder to see over his pack. D had heard the halt of his footsteps first and tapped Bakura's hand once with his left hand before returning it to its place over the black strap. The man stopped and glanced down at the boy, who motioned over to Jounochi. Bakura followed the boy's gaze and raised an eyebrow. "Guys," he said, raising his voice so the two in front would stop. Both Yugi and Anzu turned in confusion and the whole group looked to the southern distance at the square shadow that approached them. Straining his ears, Yugi blinked. "Is that a car motor?" he asked, the sound was almost foreign to his ears now.

"It looks like a van," D added, forgetting that they could not see as far as he could. Jounochi saved him from Anzu's questioning glance however.

"It is blocky," he stated, "Well, what do you know. I didn't think someone would actually still use a van to travel around…kind of a waste of gas."

"Funny to hear you say something like that," Yugi said, holding Etsu a little closer. "It'd be funny to hear anyone say that…do you think we should get out of the way?"

"Yes," Anzu said, nodding, "what if they're you know…"

"Nah," Jounochi replied, "I think if they were a raiding group there would be more. But it's not really their M.O. to be so indiscreet until they are right on a group. Right, Bakura?"

D looked up at the man as he nodded. "It's definitely not something a raiding party would do, but I really don't like the idea of being in their way. And if they are coming toward us with a purpose, it might be too late. If we see them, they may be able to see us. A group of people in the middle of nowhere isn't exactly normal now a days."

"Then what do we do?" Anzu asked, her voice frustrated, but D could hear the tint of fear in it. "Just wait until they pass us? Let them take our stuff if they so want it?"

Jounochi shrugged. "I dunno, I wasn't expecting this."

"What if it's someone from Domino, and there's something wrong?" Bakura inquired, rubbing his chin in thought. "It wouldn't surprise me if Kaiba had something set up like this for emergency occasions."

"We were just there about an hour ago, what could have gone so wrong that he'd do that?" Jounochi snapped, and then sighed, apologizing to the others. "I just don't see it happening."

"Not to mention most gasoline would probably have gone bad by now," D added.

"Maybe we're just blowing it out of proportion," Yugi interjected, handing his daughter over to Anzu so he could rest his arm. "It could be nothing."

"I'd like to think that," Bakura said, "But in this world, who knows. We should probably keep moving, but we should get our guns out, for precaution."

"I think the gun thing might be a good idea," Anzu said, "I mean, I don't want Etsu or D to see anything like that, but I think it's better than being unprepared and dying." She looked at the boy apologetically, and he could think of nothing else to do but shrug.

As they all began to ready their guns and rifles for a possible fight, D tugged on Bakura's hand with an unusual force. The young man's eyes snapped down to see the boy's anxious face looking back the way they came. Making it look like something was stuck on his bag Bakura kneeled to hear the boy better.

"I don't think it matters if we move or not," the child whispered into his ear. Bakura glanced up at the others who seemed too preoccupied to be bothered.

"Why do you think that?" he whispered back. Something in his heart was sinking. If D had this mentality as well as such a nervous demeanor, it may not bode well for any of them. When D was worried there was usually a good reason.

"I think they might have seen us already. I don't know," the child shook his head, "I might just be freaking myself out, but I have a really bad feeling right now."

"That is called intuition…or a gut feeling," Bakura replied.

"I know that," D sighed, "I also know it can be wrong. I hope it's wrong. If it isn't I don't want to think about it…"

Bakura knew that the boy was withholding some vital information, some reason for this feeling, but he let it pass, hoping that his own intuition would substitute and that his questions would be answered soon enough.

"So you don't think we should move?"

"I think that we shouldn't have our backs to something that we don't recognize. We don't know what it is capable of."

Bakura nodded and then stood. "Guys?" he reiterated, "I don't think we should keep going."

Yugi looked up at him in confusion. "Why not?"

Bakura glanced down at the boy, looking for an okay to borrow his idea. D gave him the slightest of nods. "We have no idea what that thing is, or who is driving it, right?" Jounochi grunted in agreement as he lifted his pack back on his shoulders. "It wouldn't be such a good idea, if they meant us any harm, to just be…sitting ducks, and that's what we'd be if we had our backs turned."

"You got a point there," Jounochi said, agreeing again, "Maybe we should wait and get a good look at these guys before we go anywhere."

"But it's dark," Anzu interrupted, "and what if they are after us for something, what then? We have the children to think about."

"We will be far better off seeing it coming than having one of us shot in the back, I see your guy's point; we should stay." Yugi glanced at Anzu and she sighed, nodding dejectedly.

It took less than five minutes for the military vehicle to reach them. They all stood in awe of the machine, surprised by its girth, and the suggestion of power it let off. The driver's side opened with careful precision, and a man stepped out, looking exhausted. He eyed the group warily for a moment and then his gaze stopped dead a little below Bakura's waistline. D felt all hair that was still short enough stand up on end and he shuffled behind Bakura further. The young man who was playing as his shield also felt a fear so gripping he wished he could have done the same.

"You're…alive…" the man said hoarsely, and made a move to reach for D. Bakura stepped completely in front of the boy while Jounochi aimed his rifle at the man.

"Step away from the kid," he said, no feeling audible in his voice.

"He knew," the man marveled, ignoring the two barrels pointing in his direction. "And here you stand, healthy, safe…"

"What is this guy going on about?" Yugi whispered quickly in Bakura's direction. The taller of the two wanted to reply, however his throat felt as if it had been closed off completely, the most he could do was purse his lips and then open his mouth once, before closing it shut again. He recognized that uniform from anywhere.

"I said stand away from the kid, you moron!" Jounochi shouted, faking forward so the man would stumble away, which he did with as much clumsiness as Bakura felt at that same moment.

"Now, now…" another voice, smoother said from inside of the vehicle. Both Bakura's and D's eyes lifted to the sky in frightened realization. It was dark. "There is no need for such violence." Out of the shadows of the passenger side a man covered with a cloak walked into the beam of the headlights, now the only real light around. D's fingers grasped the back of Bakura's bag and he hid his face, shivering. He wished over and over again that he would wake up and that this would have all been a dream, even the good parts. Bakura, on the other hand, cocked his gun and his lips became a thin line of determination.

"While I'm surprised to have met you out here, in these wastes," the figure motioned to the grass and rubble filled craters, "I'm not so much surprised that He was right in saying you'd still be alive—"

"Who are you people and who the hell are you talking to?" Yugi snapped, finally anxious enough about the situation to want it to be over with. Anzu held Etsu closer, unintentionally waking the child up. She gurgled incoherently before falling back into a deep slumber.

"Tis none of your concern, human, I am here for something…someone that was stolen from us." He motioned for the other man to rise and the other did so, quickly. "Now while I do not agree in the method in what brought you on this earth, child, I will stand by His decision and return you back to Him at once. Do not dawdle; we have wasted enough time with these silly creatures."

Instead of D coming forth, as the new strangers predicted, Bakura stepped forward, his gun pointing straight at the heart of the cloaked figure. His group looked at him with confusion and awe. What he felt was hatred and trepidation. "You tell 'him' that I don't give a rat's ass in what 'he' wants, D-kun stays with me," he said, his mouth feeling like putty and his mind clouded, but it rang out clear and with a tone that made Yugi back away from his friend, remembering the first day that he had let him into Domino again. It was like a different man stood before them.

"What does this have to do with D-kun?" Anzu asked, unintentionally voicing her thoughts.

The cloaked figure sighed and used its gloved hand to rub its hidden temples. "It has everything to do with the boy you all call D. I am surprised that you are alive," he added, pointing at Bakura, who lowered his gun a fraction of an inch as he lost some of his concentration, "You I figured would have died soon after your escape. I recall you were one of His little projects, just as much as this boy was, however, you were an utter failure if I remember correctly."

All eyes were on him now, and Bakura swallowed hard, trying to keep his arm from shaking. This was not the way he had wanted things to go. He had an urge to lunge at the man and tear him limb from limb for ruining what he had fought for, but his reason, his ever faithful reason, saved him from this mistake. Yet he could still feel the confusion coming his way, the flame of distrust gaining oxygen to burn as the cap was lifted.

"Projects?" Yugi inquired, "What do you mean he was a project?"

"Oh?" the man said, chuckling, "he did not tell you? He is, in every sense, exactly the same as those creatures you call monsters and shoot without a moment's thought."

"That's bullshit!" Bakura shrieked; half of his mind fretting over the idea as the other half somehow remained calm enough to continue the discussion, "I'm not a monster, I'm human!"

"You were an experiment, you fool," the man replied slowly, as if talking to a child, "A failure that somehow managed to escape and steal His son away before it was deemed safe enough for the child to go outside!"

"He didn't steal anything," D said finally, pushing his way past Bakura so he was in front of the group. "I…wanted to go with him."

The man who had fallen gasped, and as the remnants of the light from the sun finally sank below the waves, the other one pulled off his hood revealing dark tresses of brown hair, blood red eyes, and a pair of fangs that protruded from his mouth. He was as handsome man, colorless aside from the reddish tint of his lips, which at the moment were turned downward in an annoyed frown.

"Foolishness. He has tricked you onto their dying side."

"What the hell is going on here?" Jounochi asked, finally lowering his rifle and looking at Bakura who had begun to look unsure. "Did you steal someone's kid? And what does he mean you are an experiment, and our 'dying side'."

"I'll explain it latter Jounochi kun," the young man said, realigning his arm.

"No, why don't you explain it to them now?" the vampire said, cutting in. "Tell them of the tale, that just a few months ago, you, a failed product of an experiment attempted on a human, broke out of your holding pen and spirited away the boy of the man who will give rise to the newest evolutionary threshold. That you, a pathetic weakling, took what He held so dear—"

"SHUT UP!" Bakura shouted, "I'm not an experiment, I'm not a weakling. I'm human! And I SAVED D from that 'man'. You can't win them over with pity when his very father cut him open and played scientist for his own sick reasons! He's just a kid!"

"He is not like you," the vampire spat, "He is far greater than your pathetic kind—"

"And he's not like you!" Bakura responded vehemently, ignoring the gasps that had been produced by his friends by his previous accusations. D watched in silence as Bakura advanced on the man, his heart filled with sorrow, and yet still had every bit of warmth when he thought of the tall man in front of him who had protected him from the world he was about to face. "He's better than you blood sucking PARASITES. He deserves a better life, and I'm going to give it to him."

His finger pulled the trigger and the booming of the two guns going off woke Etsu, and she wailed in confusion.


	13. A New Destiny

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Vampire Hunter D.

Once again, thank you very much to my beta reader, and that unwavering patience that all of you have! Or maybe it's impatience...

Chapter Twelve: A New Destiny

Anzu screamed in horror at the sight before her eyes as her child wept uncontrollably on her shoulder. Yugi felt as if all of the air had been sucked out of his lungs, and that regaining the precious oxygen would be impossible. Jounochi had dropped his rifle in dismay, all of his conditioning useless in this situation. D…

D felt that if there was any time to die, he better do it right now.

Bakura blinked, unsure of what exactly had just happened. The man before him was just as surprised. His colorless hand crept up to the hole just under the opening of his left breast pocket, and felt the lazy trickle of blood run across his fingers. Bakura's own left hand moved to where his right lung was hidden under his ribs, forgetting that he was still pointing the gun at the vampire, unaware of the blood he was losing. The young man coughed and could taste copper in his mouth. In unison, both of the combatants pulled their hands away and marveled at the crimson that dyed their pale hands.

"What!" the vampire cried in agony as he fell to his knees, "but you're just…"

"Going to take care of him…now," Bakura wheezed, a smile stealing across his face. He moved his right arm up, then down, and then yet again from side to side and bared his teeth as he aimed for the man's head. "May the shadows eat your soul, from my personal beliefs to yours." He fired twice into the other man's head before dropping the gun in a convulsion of pain.

"Bakura-kun!" Yugi shouted, hurrying to his friend's side. Bakura held his hands across the bullet wound and sank to the ground, a small moan passing through his lips. He felt like he had been hit with a pole instead of a bullet, and although he felt winded and could taste the blood when he had coughed, he swore he felt something hard against his fingers, and pushing on it caused more pain than good. Bakura could feel Yugi trying to lift his shirt as Jounochi pulled him into a reclining position, moving his arms away from the site of the wound.

D could only stare as the men tried to situate his friend to assess the damage he had taken. His tongue itched and his stomach contents felt as if they were the sea itself, crashing and turning within him, begging for release. He did his best to ignore the nausea that threatened him, and turned slowly to look at Anzu. She stood there in shock, her eyes flicking to the incapacitated vampire and then to Bakura, who hissed in pain as Jounochi finally managed to pull his right arm up and away from his shirt so Yugi could see what he was doing, bouncing the sobbing baby, trying to soothe it when it was obvious she could not be so easily soothed herself. He felt no comfort in that sight so he turned back to the three men, and begged to whoever was listening that his friend was okay.

"We have to stop the bleeding," Yugi said, viewing the hole the bullet had created in the man's chest, "Wait…what the hell is this?"

Across the man's torso was an angry red patch. It was something neither Yugi nor Jounochi had expected, and their eyes met in confusion and fear. Bakura groaned and swatted at Yugi who jumped back in surprise. Wrenching his right arm away from Jounochi who was in shock that Bakura had even had the notion of hitting Yugi, he forced his index finger and his thumb into the hole, tears pouring from his eyes as he searched. Yugi had just enough time to register that the man was looking for the bullet when a shadow above them all caught his attention. He turned and was promptly kicked in the face by the man they had forgotten. He felt the rubble scratch at his cheek and cried out as the man's foot impacted with his stomach. Jounochi stood, leaving Bakura to his strange task, and lunged at his friend's assailant. What he had not been expecting was for the man to turn, and he lost his footing, staggering over both of his ailing friends and face planting into the dirt. Embarrassment and hatred flowed through him.

"I'll kill the son of a bitch that killed my master!" the older man howled, utterly mad, turning his head toward D for a split second, "And then I'm taking you back, you ungrateful little shit!" He advanced on Bakura who had turned away from the commotion in order to concentrate. Even if he had been turned in the right direction, he would have never seen the man coming. His eyes watered in pain as he finally managed to yank the bullet that had somehow miraculously been stopped in between two of his ribs. Ignoring the pain of the mysterious bruise, he sighed a little in relief before he felt a strong hand pull him up by the shirt collar and was raised to where his feet dangled just above the ground. He gasped in surprise looking to the side in order to see his captor's face, which was pulled back into a sneering grin.

"I'm going to kill you," the man started, "I'm going to kill you, but just as a little surprise present, I'm going to tell you what is going to happen to your precious little town once I return with the boy."

"Wha?" was all Bakura could manage. He saw Jounochi standing out of the corner of his eye, and was frightened to see him holding the left side of his face, blood pouring from whatever cut was under it. Yugi was in no better shape, he could barely get to his knees, the previous blow so extreme. He could not see D or Anzu from this vantage point.

"Wha?" the man snorted, "After I return with His son, he is going to turn that town into another little crater on this little island called Japan . He's going to take the stragglers and make himself greater than we could ever hope to be."

"Why his side though?" Bakura heard Jounochi manage, his voice strained. "Aren't you human like we are, or whatever?"

"I, unlike you, was hand picked by Him in order to create a better world. One where those who were truly strong could rule, those who were evolutionarily better! And He promised once the initial stages were over, He would allow my master, or even Himself to make me one of them."

"You're sick," Anzu spat.

"And wrong," D added, "If it was that simple, then he would have done it already, and I wouldn't have been…necessary."

Bakura could almost feel the stares that D was receiving and added, "He failed before, what makes you think he'd win this time? And what makes you think he'd hold his end of the bargain?"

The man scowled. "I don't know your purpose, kid; maybe he just got bored and wanted to see what the results could offer. You on the other hand," he turned his attention solely on Bakura, "You are the whole reason that this is even happening. I want you to know that, know that the destruction of your home is all your fault, before you die."

"Oh, just stop talking already," Bakura responded, lashing out with both of his feet and catapulting away from the man as he pushed against him. He landed on his back, again knocking the wind out of himself, and realized that no one was in a good enough position to help him. As the glint of the gun caught his eye he noted the man was still close and well armed enough to take his life without a thought. Yugi and Jounochi would probably take care of him after that, but in the end, what would happen to D? His secret was out, and Bakura had no idea what either man thought of the situation. As the man pulled back the trigger, Bakura closed his eyes and begged for a chance to ensure D's safety.

It was when he heard Yugi gasp that he opened his eyes and saw something big above him, something that had fingers the size of his ever darkening bruise, something that was a black spot on the twinkling background of the night sky. A wind tunnel of sorts formed in nanoseconds above their head, and Bakura opened his mouth in shock as the man was struck by this force and blown into the side of the military vehicle, amazed that such force had not affected anyone else around it. It hovered there long enough for Bakura to think of something that D had said in what felt like years. It looked like the card the boy had pulled out of his deck, but he did not have his cards with him, nor did he even think he had the power to summon it. Yet it was there.

"What the—" Jounochi whispered, tilting his uncovered eye to the sky. The creature shifted its long, shadowed tail and disappeared, showing no signs of it ever having been.

Bakura took in a deep breath and glanced behind him. D was in mid tackle pose, as if he had been planning on bum rushing the man who now lay yet again at the wheel of the vehicle, his eyes pointing to the dark sky. Straightening up, and still looking upward, the child made his way to Bakura's side and sat beside him in awe. No one said anything for a long time.

Finally after the chill of the night settled into his bones and the pains of the gaping wound in his chest returned full force, Bakura sighed and turned onto his side, hoping to push himself up with his arms. "I would very much like to go home now," he muttered as he nearly belly flopped in his attempt.

Yugi limped over to his side and sat down, mirroring D as he stared into the sky. "What's going on?" he asked; touching his raw face tenderly, "I'm not sure I get it."

"Neither do I, buddy," Jounochi added, steering clear of the two bodies that lay on the opposite side of their discussion. "But I sure do want some answers."

D turned to Bakura, his eyes full of unease. The man held out an arm and the boy quickly scooted toward him, too aware of how the tables could turn at this moment. Anzu had finally come out of her daze and was giving them a strange look. She rubbed Etsu's back robotically; her attention fully concentrated on the child and wounded man before her. It was not just her; without looking, Bakura could guess that Jounochi was watching them, and that Yugi had now pried his eyes away from the empty sky to look at them.

Letting out a painful sigh, Bakura raised his head to face the others' silent confusion and accusation. Indeed they watched him with interest. "I…" he began, having difficulty finding the words to start, "I won't start off by apologizing, because I have nothing to apologize for." D's grip on his shoulders tightened and Bakura flinched. "Where I was for the past three years was the closest anyone could come to hell on earth, and I wasn't about to let an innocent child suffer it any longer. So while it hurts me that you all were attacked for my decision, I'm not sorry I rescued him."

Jounochi removed his hand from where it covered his face and Bakura flinched as he saw the slowly crusting blood that covered its side. Thankfully it came from a cut across the man's eyebrow, but it still caked over his eye enough to force it closed. The man shook his blood covered hand and a few droplets rained on the earth. D averted his eyes from the place as quickly as possible; the smell of blood was so overwhelming now that he had to keep a hand over his mouth to hide what protruded. Jounochi glanced at the boy with his good eye and then back to the man who was again holding a hand to his wound site. "That's all fine and dandy, Bakura, but how can we trust you are you?" He began, wiping his hand against his jeans.

"I…what?" the man asked, confused.

"That guy, whoever or whatever he was, said that you were some sort of experiment, and then that other guy tried to kill you and some kind of monster appears out of nowhere and solves the problem for you. A really familiar looking monster. So, how do we know that you are who you say you are? For all we know, the Bakura that was our friend could be dead somewhere and you could be…"

Bakura's eyebrow raised, unable to determine what the man was saying. "I could be what?"

"You could be that other one. You could have been tricking us this whole time."

Bakura stared in shock, unable to think of anything substantial to say. The accusation had come from nowhere, the idea so ridiculous that there was a possibility that it made sense. But _he _was Bakura, he was not the "other one" the "voice" his other half…And it was like they thought he knew why that creature had come, how it had come, and it boiled his blood.

"That," he responded, "Is the STUPIDEST thing I think I have ever heard come from your mouth Jounochi. The only way anything like that could ever happen is if they had the Millennium Items which they don't! And I don't. I would have at least expected you to start off with 'is that your real body Bakura?' not 'You must be that other one that we don't like just because a monster popped up!' And another thing –"

"Stop!" Yugi shouted, and then clutched his head as his own voice created an earthquake within his skull, "That's enough! Pointing fingers at each other isn't going to get anything done; we should be more worried about what that guy said about Domino."

Silence once again stole across the group, and the severity of the situation made it so when they all began to talk again there was no bickering, just quick agreements and even faster actions.

"Yugi, Bakura, and I will go back to the city to scout and make sure whatever they plan to make happen doesn't even get to stage one," Jounochi commanded, "Anzu, you take Etsu and D with you to…"

"The docks," both Bakura and D replied.

"On the most northern part of the city," the young man added.

Jounochi raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because unless they somehow managed to figure it out, none of them can swim," D explained, "We'll have to find a working ship that has suffered the least bit of damage and that still might be able to run. Being on shore would be too dangerous for all of us. When you meet others you should tell them something similar."

"But like you said, the fuel will be no good!"

"You have a better idea?"

"What if they don't believe us?" Yugi asked, "This entire thing hasn't even been explained to us yet and I'm still having trouble grasping it all even after seeing it."

"We'll manage," Bakura said, "But there is not much time, and our main issue will be Kaiba. He might believe that you channeled confidence every time you dueled but I doubt vampires are top of his 'Real Life Threats' list."

"But-" Anzu began, "what if there are more where I'm taking them?"

"I don't think my father or his subordinates would think that far. I believe it is safe to assume he is going to wait for my 'safe return' before actually causing any damage, at least until he finds out that I'm not coming back," D said, finally removing his hand from his mouth. He looked up at the woman and added, "and Anzu san, I know that it must be difficult to even think about allowing me to come with you, that it might be safer if I just disappeared, but I promise that both you and Etsu-chan are safe…I'm not like them."

Anzu flushed a deep red color. "No! I wasn't thinking that at all," she disclaimed, kneeling down and pulling the boy into a hug to his surprise. "I'm worried for all of us, that's all. We aren't prepared for anything like this!" She turned her face up, and set her full gaze on Yugi, "What are you going to do if they are already there?"

"Save as many as we can and get out," came his curt reply. Tears welled up in Anzu's eyes, but she nodded with the understanding she had gained six years ago. There would be no stopping them.

"Be careful," she said, grabbing D's hand.

"Alright," Jounochi called and cracked his fingers, "Anzu, we'll drop you off on the street that leads to the docks and then make our way to Kaiba's to give him the news."

"Glossing it over to where he'd believe it, of course," Bakura interjected.

"Yeah," Jounochi agreed, glancing at Bakura with silent distrust mixed with admiration, "we should get going, we've lost the light, and that means we lost our edge. Damn, I still can't believe it."

"Believe what?" Yugi asked.

"That we're getting back into this magical and occult stuff again, you know how it always made me feel."

"Well, I'm just grateful you didn't pass out like you did in Death T, although that had been helpful back then," Anzu said, and the adults laughed, lightening the dark situation.

If it had been just that simple, then there would have been no change. If everything could have been saved, life would have returned to the "normal" the people were used to; it would have been just a hiccup. Some men are prideful, however, and their beliefs are not swayed. They believe the tower of their brilliance will forever be structurally sound, but do not understand if enough pressure is applied in the right area by a person with more ambition, that the tower will not just crumble; it will fall, and destroy all that was its inspiration. The predator will become the prey. D knew this theoretically, and knew that it may apply to his father in time, but when the few that were saved were able to count their losses, he would realize that the all encompassing crash he heard was not just concrete collapsing into concrete, glass shattering against metal, but the fall of a people's pride. And he would know himself then and there, and find that he could truly hate.

After they had left Anzu with Etsu and D on the abandoned road that would lead them to their salvation, Jounochi led the remaining men back to the center of the city. They could not warn any from Domino North at that time, the story had not been fully formed between them, so they passed through the quiet streets just happy to know the destruction had not yet begun. It was imperative to get to Kaiba quickly however, because even if the city was separated, he would be the one to create enough unity to save them all. Or so they hoped.

Considering their positions in the city's political structure they were able to get to Kaiba's office which still lay, albeit precariously, at the top of the skyscraper with little more than just saying their names. They were stopped once by a guard that Yugi knew.

"Hey, Yugi! I thought you had a few days off?"

"I do, but I have to talk to Kaiba for a second," he replied, smiling. They met no other distractions afterward.

Now they stood at the strong doors that blocked the view of who could have been called the most powerful man on this side of Japan. Jounochi turned to the other two and sighed. Yugi looked down at his hands and began to play with the ring on his finger. Bakura moved his own hand away from the small wound on his side and wiped what blood he could on the back of his jeans. Not one said a word for a moment that seemed to stretch for hours.

"Any ideas?" Jounochi asked finally.

"Not a single one," Yugi replied.

"There's no more time though," Bakura said, glancing over his shoulder, "the more time we sit here and do nothing, the more of a chance there is that they'll—"

"Stop!" Yugi cried, finally letting his hands come to rest, "I don't want to hear it. But what do we say?"

They looked at each other again, and Bakura moved to the forefront suddenly. "I should be the one to figure it out," he started, "You could say I started all of this. I should be the one to fix it."

"That's a lot to put on your shoulders, Bakura," Jounochi said.

"I'd rather it be on my shoulders than of the entire city."

"I just don't understand it, though!" Yugi exclaimed, "Why did any of this ever have to happen? I thought we were through with this, all of it! And now, not only do we have to deal with something that isn't supposed to exist, we have to deal with the powers of the Millennium Items, and we don't even know what's controlling it!"

"That's if everyone's telling the truth," Jounochi muttered. Bakura glanced at him and just shook his head.

"Our destiny must not be through with us then, Yugi, if this is the case," Bakura offered.

"My destiny, my fate, was to bring the items together, and let the pharaoh rest."

"Destiny is mysterious," Bakura said darkly, "Personally I would rather have my fate in my hands. It hasn't dealt me a fair hand for this life, I can tell you that. So let's stop wasting time mourning over our loss of control and just get this over with before anyone has to die."

"Aside from those freaks," Jounochi snapped.

To this Bakura did not reply; he instead chose to open the doors unannounced. The secretary who had been eavesdropping at this time with growing curiosity jumped up in surprise, but her protests were not heard. The door was already closed behind them.

It was not known to any of them that at this point power had changed hands. It was not know that once again their lives would suffer a drastic change. But as they approached the man's desk it was clear to them that their new task would be difficult, even if they did not realize that whom they faced was not that task at all. A strand purled and stitched, a strand cut from the final product, a strand somehow lost among the others that weaved this tale, which would have to find its own way back into the quilt that dictated life…this is what awaited them.


	14. Turn One

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Vampire Hunter D.

Thank you once again Aldedron for being such an awesome beta reader! Everyone, enjoy the next chapter.

Chapter Thirteen: Turn One

D paced one of the lower decks of a rather large fishing ship. He was not quite sure of what make or model it was, but he did not believe it was detrimental not to know. What worried him was that they were sitting ducks while they were hiding on the ship; neither Anzu nor he knew how to move the boat further out to sea without the possibility of damaging it. Their only hope was if there really was a possibility of a skirmish or an all out war with the city that no one came by and realized there were people on this particular craft. The chances were slim, but there was still a chance.

And Bakura didn't know where they were.

D raised a hand to his mouth and turned to make another round when he heard Anzu coming down the stairs; to her it must have been with restraint, but D could almost feel the panic in her as she made her way to the room he was supposed to be surveying. She held Etsu close to her chest, the child happily asleep as if nothing more disturbing than a loud noise had transpired. The boy wondered if sleep would not help the woman before him as well. She was pale and there seemed to be a fine sheen of sweat against her brow even though the night had become colder.

The boy tried to smile, a feat he had seen Bakura produce many a time, even if he was in a dire condition, but failed. His lips trembled in an attempt and he lifted his hand higher to cover it by biting on his thumbnail. However, Anzu managed the false gesture, and looked around as if she was interested.

"So all we really have to worry about is mildew?" she asked jokingly. D cocked his head, failing to understand.

"I guess…" he replied, hoping that was what she wanted. She just nodded and looked back to the doorway.

"You know, I never expected life to turn out like this," she said.

"Neither did I," the boy replied curtly, feeling as if blame was suddenly being laid on him.

"Oh?" Anzu remarked, "And what did you see yourself doing?"

"I know right now I'd still be holed up in some room with nothing but my books and…" he paused, and believing it best, refrained from mentioning his left hand, "and the occasional lab test. When I was older, I suppose my father would have wanted me to copulate with someone to see if I could create something better than myself that is if I was still the best he had managed to create."

Anzu stared at the boy. Her face showed nothing but shock at the way he had put the situation, and how he had worded it. D turned his face away, embarrassed by the attention. "Why would you say that?" the woman managed to ask.

D looked back at her with disdain. "You saw what happened back there. I was to be escorted back to my father, and you all were to be executed on sight, whether the words were spoken or not. Do you really not think that would be what I had to look forward to, if Bakura-sama hadn't come into my life like he did? If he hadn't rescued me before I even realized I really needed it? You can worry and tear up about your situation," he had noted that her eyes were getting bright with tears, and the child's mind within him told him to stab at this weakness, "but right now I'm more worried about the man who saved my life, and all of his friends that may pay for what I am."

"And what are you exactly?" Anzu asked her cheeks now wet with tears, "Why is this happening?"

"If I knew anything don't you think I would be doing more than this? I'm a child, but I'm not useless," D turned away, crossing his arms. He was uncomfortable; he hated talking this much, especially to someone who he felt was blaming him for the situation. He could hardly recall the happiness that he had felt from the group earlier that day, and his worry for Bakura and the others…

The others, which included Amami. She would not be excused just because she was a child and his friend. His father did not even know that last fact, nor would have cared otherwise. If D was not returned to them soon, there would be an attack. His father had waited a while, but as his son, he knew the former's impatience when he saw it. D now believed his father had _allowed_ him to 'run off and play' for these past months, giving him the false hope of freedom, the false hope of happiness. Unless Bakura had something up his sleeve, or he could get Kaiba to relocate the city immediately, she was doomed, and it would be his fault.

"I'm just a kid…" he muttered, trying to remain stoic. He did not need to throw his problems on a woman who already seemed on the verge of a breaking point. He remembered his mother well enough to leave the woman behind him out of it. "I'm just a kid, and it's not fair," he glanced back at Anzu, who was clutching the sleeping child to her chest, "I didn't want this; I just wanted to be happy. I wanted to see something other than pictures in books. I wanted to feel wanted for no reason in particular, not because I am a cross-breed."

"But we were all just a little too stupid to realize that your father knew where you were the whole time," the parasite in his hand muttered, and this broke the child's composure. D turned his face away again and bit down on his lip hard enough to draw blood. He did not cry out, but bolted for the door that led into yet another room, leaving a bewildered and frightened Anzu behind. She made a move to follow the boy, feeling pity for the child, but somehow knowing she would only be making the situation worse, she instead sighed and turned to climb back up the short flight of stairs.

Once she was outside again, she looked up at the stars. These were the same stars that saw her through her first semester at Julliard, and her return home for a birthday party, requested by the young man that was now her husband for all intents and purposes. They were same stars that saw her through the past three years. They were probably even the same stars that shone the night they all had sailed for Duelist Kingdom, to be swept into strange fate and stranger adventures. If she ever wanted something consistent in her life, she just needed to look up into their bright light. They would be there tomorrow, next month, next year; they would be there as she lay dying. She pondered this as she looked at them. If that boy was indeed a vampire, or a half-vampire, and this was not some crazy dream, would he be there too? Would he be there a hundred years later, looking up at these same twinkling lights, unable to be loved by either side? For as he said, only one being wanted him, and that was as an experiment…and she knew even though she had denied it previously, the thought of that boy being anything like those monsters frightened her to the very core. It was unfair of her, and she would fight the fear, but she knew others wouldn't. She and her friends would have to keep his secret.

Etsu made a soft noise in her sleep, and Anzu looked down at her lovingly. She couldn't imagine a world without her child now, and she was sure it was vice versa. This brought her thoughts back to D and she put her free hand to her lips in understanding. She hurried off (as quickly as one could with a sleeping child in their arms) to find the boy. What she did not realize was that D was no longer on the ship, and that he had slipped into the chill waters without a sound.

Silence also held the office that sat precariously on edge atop the Kaiba Corp. tower. Yugi fidgeted with his hands behind his back, trying to keep composure. Bakura stood rigid, alert, but also unstable. Jounochi held his head in his hands, feeling as if any god were to strike him dead at that moment it would be for the best. Kaiba was looking at them with alarm, disgust, and disbelief. Ruin was on the lips of fate that day.

"An attack on the city…" Kaiba repeated slowly, lacing his fingers as he rested his elbows on the table before him, "by vampires." He sighed and shook his head. "What kind of idiot do you take me for?"

"We don't think you're an idiot at all!" Yugi exclaimed, taking a step forward. Kaiba set his gaze on the shorter man who then took two steps backward. "But we can't explain it any other way," 'We just tried to five times', he thought bitterly while adding, "…someone's out to attack our city and they have the means to do it. Bakura had to deal with them before, and that's why we called them vampires."

"So this was your idea?" Kaiba seethed, his attention now on the pale young man to Yugi's left.

"Not my idea," Bakura responded, holding his ground although his heart had begun to pound with a new ferocity, "It's the truth. These people are crazy; they locked me and a bunch of other people up for three years and did horrible things to us! If you were thought to have not been affected by radiation you were used as a food source. They drank my BLOOD, goddamnit!"

"That doesn't mean they are vampires," the other man scoffed, "It just means you got stuck with some freaks. I'm curious though, as to why you did not mention the fact that you were being held by anyone before this. It seems too convenient to me."

"I," Bakura started, his cheeks beginning to burn with nervous embarrassment, "I didn't want anyone to think I was a danger to them because I didn't think I was."

"But according to you, these people are now after our city because of you?"

"No, not because of me…"

Jounochi growled, finally incensed enough to respond with something. "What does it matter?" he yelled, surprising his friends but not the man in front of him, "Whether it was him or something he did or coincidence, it's going to happen and we don't have time for this shit!" He turned to Bakura, whose eyes were now bright with unshed tears of guilt. "I'm sorry man, I'm sorry for ever giving you trouble about this out there. I shoulda known that you were on our side from the beginning, whatever happened." He turned back to Kaiba, glaring. "Yugi's head of security, and he was there and knows that what we are saying is true. Forget about the 'vampire' part if you want, but we need to get these people to safety if we want our city to still be here tomorrow morning! This guy and his servant or whatever had a working military vehicle and from what I can guess from the way they talked there are more people on their side than ours!"

Kaiba watched this display in silence. When Jounochi was doing no more than breathing hard and trying to look as intimidating as he could, the blue eyed man unlocked his fingers and stood, placing well cared for fingers against his temple. The others watched as he turned to look outside, the window that once showed a bustling city below now only showing a dark mass of destruction and attempted reconstruction. He sighed deeply, now rubbing his temple counterclockwise.

"Do you have any idea," he began, still not facing them, "what it took to make this city do what simple tasks it is doing now? How many people that have to be dealt with each day in order to keep it running smoothly?" His head turned slightly and his oddly colored eye glared at Bakura. "You wouldn't. Jounochi, maybe, even for his everlasting foolishness, Yugi, yes. He was the greatest ally one could have during this situation, as much as we had been rivals prior."

"Jeez, I'm right here," Jounochi muttered and was ignored.

"Even before it went to ruin, I had put my life into this city. I owned many of the buildings that are now nothing but rubble, and it was my money that kept dinners on tables. Now it's my word and my knowledge of how things should be run that keeps us better off than the half coordinated halfwits of North Domino and South Domino. The point I'm trying to make here is this: I take everything into consideration as I want this city to recover. I may not like everyone in it, but that does not mean I want everyone to die. If they've survived this far, then they must have some reason for living if not just to take care of their children. However, if I were to take what you said seriously, ignoring the 'vampire part' as Jounochi put, rather brightly for once, I would have to take into consideration the likelihood of it happening as you say it will, the precautions of evacuating the entire city to a new location that would not be obvious, the availability of security, not to mention the fact that for every fifty people we have one security guard and it would be impossible to evacuate anyone in the time frame you've given unless we caused major panic which would cause riots and more death. I will do none of these things."

"What?" Yugi said, surprised, "but why? Why if you know we have no reason to lie?"

"Because I don't know, Yugi," he responded coolly, "I can believe that you must have met someone that caused alarm, I can believe that you care about this city as much as I do, but the fact that you came in here, unannounced, raving about vampires and a total annihilation of Domino City makes me very cautious indeed." He placed a hand against the structure that had once held a portion of a window pane and sighed again. "I've always known you all to be a suspicious bunch; to put any faith into a threat made by two people who are now supposedly dead is laughable. If there is any real animosity between our city and their establishment, it probably is due to you, isn't it?" He turned and focused his attention solely on Bakura. "I should have been more curious as to why you appeared three years after the incident and as a legal guardian to a boy with no real name. I'm going to assume that these people are who you stole the boy from in what could have been a fit of insanity on your part. If that is the case, this is an easy fix. I will send one of our sentries out in the direction you say the attack is going to come from with the boy and return him. Then I'm going to lock you away in a prison cell, Bakura, because we have no need for mentally unstable kidnappers."

"But!" Bakura cried in disbelief.

"But nothing," Kaiba replied, "Yugi, Jounochi, take him to the functional holding cell; I will ignore your parts in this nonsense as he was once your friend, but know that this foolishness will not be tolerated again."

Both Yugi and Jounochi looked at one another, uncertain, and then back at Bakura. Their eyes were pained but set firmly on him. Suddenly the young man felt the bonds of friendship slip out of his grasp and did not struggle as the other two men grabbed him just below the shoulder on either side; but for as much as he did not struggle physically, he struggled verbally.

"This is crazy!" Bakura exclaimed, now being dragged back. "You're going to get us all killed!"

"No, Bakura, what you don't seem to realize is that you are going to get us all killed," Kaiba snapped, "This place is where those who need protection find it. They can live their lives in peace knowing that no one is going to attack us, because we are the biggest thing out there now. We are safe, we are free! Our laws are there only to make sure we do not kill ourselves. There has been no crime thus far from within, if we don't count you. I've treated life as my personal game, and it is still a game, a game of survival, and those in the seats of power must do what they can to protect those they govern, to give them liberty and the ability to give back to those that care for them in the most effective ways. This is how we survive, and I'm not going to allow you to screw it up.

Now if you will excuse me, I have an appointment in two minutes that I cannot miss."

"Huh?" The two pulling Bakura stopped. The young man never thought to run, he was just as intrigued.

"Yes, it was a late appointment, but it was from a man who believed we could be allies of sorts in a world such as this. We have the technology at our fingertips, but not the manpower to bring it all back online. He was willing to give us men for this work as well as more protection if we shared our tech with him. After we discussed it further, we agreed that we were to bring it up to the seceded pieces of Domino and in the end re-create the city as a central hub for humanity. But of course until we all came to agreements in how our city should be run we would still function under our governments as of now."

"Where did this man come from?" Bakura interrupted, now worried, "and how can you trust him?"

Kaiba walked over to him, staring down, and smiled. "I believe that is no longer any of your business, traitor. Kidnapping is still a crime, and the fact that you may have caused an unnecessary discrepancy is worse. Take him away." He shooed them away as he walked back to his seat, one hand in his pocket. Even as the world lay in disarray, Kaiba still gave off a sense of order and cleanliness to an obsessive degree. Bakura had been in the office plenty of times, but now as he was being dragged away by his "friends" he saw how perfect everything in the office was. How the man who now sat in the middle of the room, as high and mighty as a king on his throne, still clung to his immaculate clothing. He was living in the past, pretending it was the future. He did not see that humans were no longer the ones in charge, and that it may take years for it ever to become what it used to be, if it ever returned to that.

The intercom by the man buzzed, alerting him to his appointment's arrival. The trio had just reached the door as it opened, and Bakura dragged his gaze away from the floor and its clean carpet to see who it was. His eyes widened and he suddenly had the urge to urinate. The young man's mouth became dry and swallowing did nothing to soothe the painful sticking.

The stranger emerged from the shadows of the door and into the false light that poured from the lamps across the room. He was massive in height, but not girth, his slender but obviously muscular form hidden by his formal attire. He had his dark hair slicked back, showing off his prominent brow and pale complexion. For a moment their eyes locked and the man's eyes flashed with recognition. His lips curved to form a small but sinister smile and Bakura was reminded of a day so long ago that he had seen those eyes for the first time. Fighting back an urge to spit at the man and almost losing the battle, Bakura allowed himself to be dragged out of the room, actually aiding their departure.

Once the door closed behind them, he yanked free from loosening hands. He spun and glared at the two men for a moment, until he realized what they had done. Bakura's eyes once again flooded, but he did not allow the tears to fall. There was no time.

"That was him," he said abruptly.

"The appointment?" Jounochi stated more than asked, "Yeah, I don't trust the look of him."

"No, I mean that's the guy who locked me up for three years as his personal guinea pig, D-kun's father," he dropped his voice in hope's no one on the other side of the door could hear him, "Now's not the time or place to speak of this though. This city is doomed if Kaiba is working with the likes of him. We need to get out of here."

"But what about everyone else?" Yugi asked as they hurried down the steps. Since no one knew of Kaiba's most recent decree on the pale haired boy, they were not questioned.

"Kaiba was right about one thing. We can't go door to door, and if we alert everyone at the same time, there'll be mass panic."

"Yeah, but I know I'd rather die trying to get away than die as some freak experiment. Wouldn't you?" Jounochi added, and Bakura could only nod.

"Then how are we going to do this?"

"The TVs," Yugi said as they reached the bottom, "Just like when Kaiba-sama got us all to come to the center after the bombs came, but…I have to get my mom and…"

"And I need to get Shizuka-chan and Honda," Jounochi added in, as if just realizing the situation.

Bakura nodded. "You two go get your families, just direct me to where I can access the power and alert the others."

"But it would be too dangerous if you went by yourself, Bakura-kun!"

"Yugi-kun, of course it's going to be too dangerous!" he cried exasperatedly, "But we don't have the time or enough people on our side to be thinking about that! Now direct me to the power and broadcast stations; you were closest to Kaiba, so you'd know the exact locations he put them."

Yugi nodded and did as he was bid. The trio hurried along together for a few moments longer, forming a more plausible plan for escape, as well as the information Bakura was supposed to relay to the rest of the city. They stopped at a deserted intersection as the first of the lights began to shut down.

"Now remember," Yugi said, "Jounochi, you're to lead your group through the back alleys, picking up anyone if they are willing enough to believe you. I'm going to be taking the main streets. I'll try persuading the guards to help, I'm the main one in charge so it shouldn't be too hard, I'm more personable than Kaiba-sama anyway," he chuckled without any humor, "Bakura-kun you just say what you have to say and get the hell out of here. We'll meet again by the docks, find Anzu-chan and the others and get out of here. I'm no sailor, and I know none of you are. Kaiba-sama would have been our best bet if we were to take it the way we originally planned. So we are just going to have to follow the others, and hope."

"Right," Jounochi said and was about to leave until Bakura placed a hand on his shoulder. Both Jounochi and Yugi looked at the young man with a curious glance.

"I have a favor to ask," Bakura started, placing a finger on Jounochi's lips when he tried to speak, "If, and only if, either of you know where Wanatabe Amami and her family lives, please get them to come with you." He looked at the both of them beseechingly as the second set of lights clicked off and left their block in total darkness.

"Sure," Jounochi said, and placed a hand on Bakura's shoulder, "I know 'em. I'll swing by that way and grab them on my way out."

"Thank you," Bakura said, nodding his head in thanks, "sorry that I interrupted your interruption, but I had no intention of saying 'if I don't make it, blah blah blah'." The three laughed a little at this, "I know I can trust you with his life."

"Of course," Yugi said, tears now threatening in his eyes, "But just the same, be careful, the both of you."

"You, too," the other two chimed in.

So the three turned their backs to one another and went their separate ways, knowing of the danger and the price that would be paid. However, knowing was not the same as understanding. Lessons like those always come far too late.


	15. Sacrifice or Surrender

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Vampire Hunter D.

I apologize for my lateness, but alas, that's how things go x.x Thanks once again Aldedron for being my beta-reader, thank you to my lil group of faithful readers, you are awesome. I love hearing speculations and/or opinions concerning this story. By no means is it complete, and by no means is there only one way it will go.

Enjoy!

Chapter Fourteen: Sacrifice or Surrender

Darkness did not change his pace, nor did it make him afraid; but he was afraid. Afraid of that feeling he was getting, that twinge that something was going to go wrong or that something was wrong already. This was what finally pushed him from a quick walk, crouched in shadow, to a jog that threatened to give away his position. He could hear the guards, or sentries as his mind sometimes put it, checking the streets for any straggling citizens who either did not realize how close to curfew it was, or were just choosing to ignore it. They were far off, however, still a number of blocks away from the half crouched figure hurrying along the streets.

D stopped for a moment to take in a deep breath and rub at his freezing arms before continuing on. He had just reached the edge of where Domino North became Domino City, not but two blocks away from Bakura's apartment. As soon as he had gotten out of the freezing water, he had made a mad dash south-west, ignoring how badly he had the urge to sleep. He had to get to Amami; he had to get her to safety before anything happened. D did not believe he would ever forgive himself if she or her family died because of his selfish wish to live like a normal child.

"What a mess this has turned out to be," his left hand said as D grabbed a light pole and swung onto the street perpendicular to the one he was on. The child did not reply but continued to take in controlled breaths as he ran as fast as he could down the paved roads. The parasite did not seem the least bit vexed about this, and continued with his banter in a jovial tone that was improper for the situation.

"So after you rescue said damsel, what do you propose to do next? Ride her off into the sunset on a horse with no name? You might have to wait until tomorrow for that," the hand tittered. D looked down at his hand, slowing down just enough to where he would not smack into anything.

"You are a pain in the ass, you know that?" He snapped, panting softly.

The face on the hand grinned. "Hey, don't blame me for poking holes into your flimsy logic." D glared at the hand, and if the appendage could have shrugged, it would have. "Just saying."

The boy did not reply to this but clenched his hand instead, letting his nails bite into the skin. A sardonic look formed on his face as he turned to look behind him, letting the small trickle of blood drop onto the cement. He was about to continue on his way when a minute glimmer of light caught his attention. At the top of the Kaiba Corp building a single light shone, and not from the room on the top floor, but the roof.

"What is this?" He wondered aloud, and then a hiss of static made him jump and twist his vision to a large broken TV that shimmered with a shower of electricity in the distance. The lights clicked on a half a second later and D was now completely visible in the orange lamplight.

"Citizens of Domino, if I may have your attention…This is an emergency broadcast authorized by the Chief of Security and Trade, Moto Yugi. I repeat this is an emergency broadcast authorized by the Chief of Security and Trade, Moto Yugi. If you are able to hear this, and know of those who cannot, please alert them and then continue to direct your attention to this message…"

D listened in awe as the soft, effeminate voice came from numerous speakers left on only for the purpose of hearing the curfew lifted. He knew that voice from anywhere. He was relieved to hear it, but the restrained fear and urgency that it held both caused great worry and admiration. Something must have been said to get the man so unnerved.

"…an attack on the city. Please in as an orderly fashion as possible, make your way to the northern city limit. Nowhere else. There are rumors of a city that survived in a more northern region who may take us in for a time. If we all remain together we will be safer. There is not much time, so please leave as quickly as possible. This is going to happen, and the sooner we leave the better. But please do not panic. This will only make things difficult for all. I repeat, do not panic.

Bring whatever is necessary, and only what is necessary. There is enough still lying around out there to replenish anything you may need. Please head toward Domino North, there will be guards waiting at the city line to escort you to your destination. If you see anyone who is having difficulties aid them if you are able to. Stay away from anyone that you do not recognize," the man stopped, and then added as an afterthought, "That is all."

With that there was a blip and the man's voice stopped just as quickly as it had started. D held his breath, listening to the faded echoes of Bakura's voice, drawing whatever strength he needed from it, and then resumed his run. The young man had been right about time. They had precious little and every second counted. He only wondered why they had changed the plan, and how they were going to find Anzu before heading north.

D shook his head, a negative only he and the eyesore on his hand could see. They were stuck either way. No boat he and Anzu had found would have been able to move far enough away from shore, least of all any that would carry the amount of people that the city held. Migrating north would not do much better, considering that was where their group had been heading when found. He assumed that the adults thought that the mass of people would cause enough confusion to save some lives, but D knew there was no chance if his father sent even just four vampires after them. Bakura's previous actions had impressed the boy beyond measure, but he doubted if the others would do half as well. He hoped that they would all be long gone before anyone arrived.

In the distance there was a small explosion, and D looked up, his face strained. It couldn't be happening already, could it?

In a building that was closer to Domino South, Bakura leaned back on the rusting chair and sighed. It had been a poor warning with a blatant lie thrown in to ease a situation which would cause panic regardless of his attempts to temper it, but it was the best he could do under this situation. They needed to get the remains of a city traveling far enough away to where the vampires could not reach immediately, and then he could worry about the repercussions. Here was hoping that the rumor that vampires could not cross running water was true. He had almost wanted to request those who were religious to pray. They all may need it.

He rested there for a moment, eyes closed, knowing full well that his friends were not prepared. They thought that the vampire he had shot had been killed. In the heat of the moment he had nearly believed it himself. Yet he could think clearly now, knew it was not so, and knew that their main objective was to run for their lives. He only hoped that it would not come to fighting. What happened once would not necessarily happen again, and it was not like he knew how to bring forth what had saved him, or that he even wanted to; yes, running was their best bet.

An explosion startled him from his thoughts. He bolted up from the chair and faced in the direction of where the sound had come from. Small tendrils of smoke in the distance could be seen by the light produced from what was left of the city. Bakura walked up to the window pane, touching the glass with unintended gentleness. It was impossible. Unless…somehow…

Bakura scowled. There had been a reason that man, no, that _thing _had shown his face. He had known all along where his two captives had been hiding. He had somehow weaseled his way into Kaiba's good graces with promises of coexistence and bettering their "cities". That was if Kaiba did not know the truth. There was a part of the young man who stood in the shadow of an empire long gone, sick with the possibility that the man he had trusted had sold him out. Sold them all out, but for what?

He shook off the conspiracy theory with one turn of the head. He now watched as the streets began to fill with people. Some were calm as he had asked, most nervous, as what was to be expected, and a few, but enough, were tearing through the brightened streets as if the vampires were already upon them. He wondered how long it would take for them to reach the northern edge of the city, and then, how many would actually make it out alive? Bakura was not so optimistic to think that even a fourth of Domino City would survive this, never mind the other branches. His main concern was to round up as many people as he could, to save those he could save, and to actually kill a few of those damned things before their escape, or his death. With one hand he grabbed for the rifle that he had placed on the table, and for a new weapon, hastily made, with his other hand. It's raw, broken edge drove splinters into his soft flesh, but he ignored them. It was nothing compared to the pain he would inflict upon anyone who would take D away from him.

As one of the leaders of this insane plot, Yugi had a duty to make his portion of the plan work; but it was as if stubborn people abounded in the guard post he now stood in.

Yugi sighed with exasperation and worry as the men before him continued to watch him with confused expressions plastered on their faces. He ran his fingers through his hair and gave them a look that was more akin to the Pharaoh that once resided within him than himself. The men stood more erect, but still did not budge. He wondered if this had been Kaiba's doing. How though, when they had acted as quickly as they had?

"Did you not hear me the first time?" he asked, frowning, "Are you disobeying a commanding officer?"

"No sir!" One of them piped up, "but, evacuate the whole city? And to get them all to Ushiku? It's impossible!"

"All I am asking is that you do what you are told as quickly as you can. I understand that this seems impossible, but-" He was interrupted by Bakura's speech then, and watched as their expressions changed. He had to hand it to Bakura for sounding so calm under the circumstances. When the speakers cut out he folded his arms across his chest, once again looking like the man in charge.

"What rumors?" One of the men, Kato, asked warily, "I've never heard of anything like that."

"Ignore that for now," Yugi barked, "that was for the civilians. We are to help guide them to Ushiku in a calmly matter."

"But I doubt there are enough guardsmen for this," someone else added.

"We are going to have to make it enough," Yugi proclaimed.

"And what of Kaiba-sama?" Kato questioned, looking down at Yugi, "Was this his plan? What is all of this for? Why Ushiku? What attack?" Others began to nod, questioning the commands of the young man.

"Kaiba-kun is out of the picture," Yugi said, "We have reason to believe some of his prior actions have allowed this breach of security. We are going to do what we can to rescue who we can."

"Who are _we_?" Kato replied, now looming over the smaller man, who stood undaunted. "And what if I don't believe you?"

The explosion was nearer to them than either D or Bakura, but not as close as to Jounochi or Kaiba. It shook the ground beneath them with the force of a minor earthquake and made their ears ache with the deep boom that it created. A few seconds later a mild wind blew past the "outpost", lifting a three year old newspaper only to promptly smack it into the window that Yugi and the others were now staring out of, most in shock, and one in horror. That horror melted and once again the shorter man was in charge, and just in time.

"Regardless if you believe me, Kato-san, it's happening," the young man said, his voice cold, feeling an emotionless film envelope him. He had things to do, and little time to do them in. "Now all of you, move out!"

Jounochi never had to pound on a single door when he reached the first "neighborhood". By the time he had managed to get to an occupied neighborhood, the people were already leaving their homes frantically. 'Good,' he thought, 'they're listening to Bakura's announcement.' He directed a few of the people to get the mob into some orderly fashion and set off once again. Jounochi was probably the next most perceptive in the small group they had first set off with concerning the situation. He had seen a lot of his newfound friends murdered by strange things, people, the new unrelenting elements of unstable highways and newly created canyons. Although he did not quite grasp the immortal part of their foe, he knew things changed quickly in times such as these. His experiences with Yugi and the Millennium Items helped him in that aspect as well as from when he associated with a neighborhood gang. Never in his life did he ever think he would be grateful for many of those lessons. He knew that he needed to get his family and the child's best friend's family out of the city as quickly as possible. He hoped they would remain somewhat orderly, the city had dwindled into a pathetic number over the years, and there was a chance that some would just leave entirely. However, Jounochi was curious as to where exactly they were going to go afterward. Bakura had mentioned Ushiku, because of the swamp, and that if they continually changed positions around it, the vampires may just give up. Yugi had said a possibility could have been Pegasus' Island if they could return to a city with a shipyard; but then again, they'd have to be pointed in the right direction, something that he doubted anyone could really do now. If only Kaiba could have been on their side…he shook his head angrily as he ran. No, Kaiba had led them to this. He had not given them a choice.

The explosion took Jounochi by surprise. The light of the flash never registered, the sound made him stop and look up in confusion, and the wind of the detonation blasted him two meters where he had been previously standing. He now lay, sprawled on his back, staring up at the sky as licks of flame teased his peripheral view. He heard a strange and twisted metallic sound and turned his attention to the blaze two blocks away. Flames sputtered and grew as rubble connected with the earth and Jounochi could have sworn that Kaiba Corp. was leaning ever so precariously to the right.

He got up, perplexed, wondering who had set off the explosion, and with what. It did not take long for a figure to come striding out of the burning building, seemingly unscathed. It was a hulk of a man, but from where he stood Jounochi could not discern his features. He was a black mass standing atop the horizon of concrete and flame, and when he began to walk quickly toward the young man, he only grew in the darkness. Jounochi pulled out his handgun, ready for a possible attack, but the man began screaming. He was screaming his name.

Another smaller bang and another building went up in flame, but this gave Jounochi the light he needed. He quickly returned his gun to its holster and caught the man who had just reached him before he fell. He lifted him up with adrenaline ridden strength and considered the man before him. His clothes were still smoldering from the flames he had stepped out of, but otherwise he was fine. He was happy to see that his friend was okay, but it left one important question left to be answered, and the next thing that Honda shouted, aside from his name, answered it, and left him in a panic.

"Jounochi!" Honda cried, holding his friend in a vice grip. "I don't know what happened! One minute we were just getting ready to leave, to find you and ask you what this was all—and then—she screamed and I turned around—she was gone and the house blew! The house blew up!"

"Where is Shizuka!" Jounochi screamed, all thoughts of how grateful he was that his friend was unscathed flying from him. "Where is she?"

"I d-dunno, man! She was there one minute and then I turned around and—oh no, what if she's still…" He turned to look at the burning building. It was obviously a lost cause, but Jounochi ran to it anyway screaming his sister's name in a strange bout of irony. Honda looked around at the now running stragglers and then to where his friend was running and followed him.

D was beginning to feel discomfort in his lungs, but it was minimal, so it was ignored. He had not stopped running since the explosion, and had only hastened his pace once he realized how close it was to Amami's house. He pleaded to no one in particular that she was safe, that she was nowhere near the explosion, and that the explosion was some faulty equipment finally taking its dying breath instead of a bomb starting a new war. Staying in the shadows, he took the back route; it was quicker and he remained out of sight to all those heading toward the supposed meeting point. He did not want to be stopped for any reason, out of worry for his safety, or out of fear…if anyone had seen anything to fear. He hoped they had not.

"I don't see why you're doing this," his left hand muttered, "If you really want out of the whole situation, you should have just taken a boat yourself and left, or surrender and give your father what he wants."

"Shut up!" He hissed through a bout of light panting. The city seemed larger than he remembered.

"Maybe that's because you usually don't hop gates through other people's cramped as hell yards…If you can call that alley a yard."

D did not respond, but came to a halt a block away, hearing another, lower boom. Another house or apartment had been set aflame. He looked for a street sign and found to his relief that he was almost there, and that her house was to the right, and not to the left where the flames climbed ever higher. With a speed that the fastest sprinter could not have beat, D was off again. He still had time.

He came to a halt two blocks down from where he turned. Glancing back, blocked by the mostly sound structures, he saw the fire growing. The boy was curious to see what, or who had set it, but knew that it mattered little. It was already done. He looked back at the property before him and let out a deep sigh. He had made it. Looking into those dark windows made his heart leap with joy.

Then, however, a little voice that did not belong to his parasite of a hand, questioned him if the fact that there were no lights on was a good reason to rejoice. It could have been something worse, much worse. D spun around, swearing that the voice had come from beside him, and then his attention returned to the house again, his worry more apparent than ever.

"Amami-chan!" He shouted at the house as if those inside could hear him. Almost in answer to his cry, however, a shriek pierced the air, muffled through the wood but crystal clear to the boy whose face betrayed the horror he felt. Hurrying up to the door and foregoing the ritual of knocking he gripped the handle and without thinking pulled. The door came open with a crack, the lock freeing itself and a chunk of the wood from the doorway. He ran through the empty living room, his body racing with adrenaline, listening hard for another shriek or noise to indicate where to go. He did not have to bother. There was a crash just ahead of him and his friend, Amami, appeared, racing out of the kitchen, her dark shoulder length hair whipping across her tear-streaked face. He could hear something chasing her. With quick reflexes he grabbed her and fell back around the corner, his right hand covering her mouth. He immediately let her go as she struggled, fearing that he would hurt her if he did not. Another shriek of fear stuck in her throat as she spun around and saw that it was him.

"D-kun?" she exclaimed. D shook his head and motioned for her to be quiet but the damage was done. Now standing right where D had been when he had caught the girl was a being no less than six feet tall with sandy brown hair and penetrating red eyes. At D's facial reaction, Amami turned and instantly began shrieking again at the sight. The vampire lunged and D pulled Amami further back, changing their positions.

"Who are you!" the boy shouted, getting angry. He could smell something that was setting his aggression off, but he was more concerned about saving his friend, so he ignored it. "Who allowed you into this home?"

The vampire looked taken aback, and then when the boy continued to glare at him, amused. "What," he began with a thick accent, "What right do you have to question me, child?"

"I have all the right in the world," D replied, holding his friend's shaking hand, "Now tell me who you are and what right you have to be in this home?"

"D-kun," Amami whispered pleadingly. The boy gave her hand a tight squeeze but continued to lock eyes with the man in front of him.

"You have some nerve!" the vampire answered, affronted, "I should not even bother to waste my time with pathetic human filth like yourselves. I would do you a great honor to place you among the ranks of the elite—"

"Enough!" D commanded with a voice unlike any Amami had ever heard him use. The vampire was silent once again. "Your incessant prattling annoys me," he added slowly, knowing that he was not going to receive an answer for his questions, knowing the longer he spoke the more trouble he was apt to get them into. He was trying, but unable to form a plan that would take them to safety. That was when he saw another figure down the hall, staggering, but alive and very much human. Amami's father. He had to act now.

"Run!" he shouted, shoving Amami back toward the kitchen. The vampire turned to follow but D kicked out his foot and the vampire hissed, his shin thoroughly bruised. D barely ducked out of his reach in time and bolted in the direction that his friend and her father were running.

"You foul little—!" the vampire began, but D did not hear how his statement ended. A blast blew him off of his feet and he could hear Amami screaming before he collided with the asphalt, his head taking the brunt of the fall. His eyes lost focus for a second as the scenery swirled around him in bright display. The home they had just left through the back door and through the backyard gate was ablaze. How, D had no idea. He thought that the lumpish figures just to his right were Amami and her father; both were moving at any rate, however slowly. As his sight became better he noted a board of flaming wood falling from the sky heading straight for his head. He scrambled out of the way just in time to see it smack into the bloody ground where his head had been. From the sobbing and the soft crooning he could hear he was now almost positive that it was Amami and her father beside him, one trying to calm the other.

"Are you okay?" D asked softly as he made his way to the two silhouetted figures. The fire seemed to have spread to the two homes nearest the newly formed inferno lighting the street as if it were day, and D could hear the howling of the vampire who had been trapped inside. It made no sense to the boy how everything was going so wrong so quickly. His father could not have been that prepared, could he?

"What is going on?" Amami's father replied, not specifically to D. He seemed confused, and from his injured and disheveled appearance, the boy could not blame him. He looked at the child as if he were a vision in a dream. D placed a gentle hand on the man's shoulder, looking concernedly between the man and his daughter. The girl was sobbing harder than before, if that were possible. "Where is my wife?"

"I don't know," the boy replied, now looking back at the wall of flame. "We have to get out of here, though."

"But, what about my wife?" the man exclaimed, not seeming to realize that he was shouting at a boy not much older than his daughter. D held his hands up and shrugged, not able to think of anything more. The man looked down at his daughter, forlorn, when a shadow enveloped the three. The cold it produced made the boy shiver involuntarily, but it was not just the cold, or the newly formed look of confusion and fear in the eyes of the man kneeling before him. It was the familiar aura, the dangerous aura.

His father.

"SHIZUKA!" Jounochi yelled into the inferno, dodging cinders and flame as they flitted about him, uncaring and hazardous. The deeper he went into the maze of fire and smoke the more he was reminded of the time that he had saved Yugi from the burning room that had been a part of Otogi's father's game shop. It gave him courage. He had saved a person once from such a fate; he could do it again, especially since it was his sister.

The only thing that unnerved him more than the heat and the possibility of suffocation was that something seemed off about Honda. He knew his friend, and his friend never would have left if he had known Jounochi's sister had been inside, moreover if she had disappeared while speaking to him. He had run into this fire pit with little more than Honda's word and something just did not seem right. If Shizuka were there, she should have heard him, unless she was unconscious.

But why would she be unconscious if they had both been in the same place? How could she have just 'disappeared?'

"Honda, are you sure she wasn't—" he began and looked to the man just in time to see a board swing into view. Jounochi leaped back, nearly setting his clothes ablaze on the burning chair beside him. "What the fuck!" he spat, patting at his singed jeans.

"Dude, I'm sorry," his friend replied, "but it was either join them willingly or become a main dish while my girl becomes desert."

"What?" Jounochi was flabbergasted, "Where's Shizuka!"

"Don't worry, she's safe. That was their promise. They could change you too, but…" the figure paused, and now Jounochi saw that his friend had not come from the house unscathed. Two pinpricks on his neck contrasted in the orange light like damning evidence in black light. "I know you, and you're not someone who'd do that." What was left of the ceiling began to creak, waiting for that last beam to give way in order to fall into the ruins. "So I'm going to kill you, Katsuya, because you're my friend, and I can give you a better death than they can."

Jounochi's mouth stood agape. This could not be happening. His friend was not a vampire, and he was not going to die. As Honda lifted up the board to deliver a super human killing blow, the blonde knew that there were only two choices, neither of which was pleasant. However, was any option worth it? His sister was probably one of them. Was it worth living now that she was gone? He had to choose.


	16. The First Reckoning

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! I do not own Vampire Hunter D.

It's October, which means a few things. I'm going to be super busy with Halloween and school, but, as it is my favorite holiday, you all will be getting two chapters, instead of one, this month.

And as an aside, please remember, constructive criticism is appreciated even if you aren't my beta-reader. While this is my relaxing time writing, it shouldn't mean I get to get lame with the story. Thanks again by the way, Aldedron!

Chapter Fifteen: The First Reckoning

D swallowed hard, disbelief clouded his mind. He could not have been caught so quickly. Not now; what would Bakura think? His friend would not know of his absence until it was too late, and all the attempts that the young man had made to protect the boy would be moot. As he turned, he knew that the moment he had left the boat he had inadvertently forsaken all that his friend—no, he was more than that, but what exactly the boy could not say, had done for him.

"I believe you know it is time to end this silly game," the figure behind him said, its voice lazy but parental. The boy turned and looked into the face of the man he hated. He must not have been able to hide his feelings, for the man before him smiled and added, "I see you are not pleased, but it is your fault after all that any of this is happening. You should have come home with the escort I supplied you."

When the boy did not reply, did not move, the man frowned. "So am I to expect nothing more than the silent treatment? I'm not the one making this difficult, you know…"

D stared up into the man's burning red eyes. He did not have a choice, in order to save his friend; he would have to acquiesce. He had taken no more than a step in his father's direction, when a shot rang out and his father lurched forward, his expression at first full of irritation before quickly turning into amusement. He reached for his right shoulder, and D could see blood beginning to soak his father's cloak. Astonishment was not strong enough a word for what D felt at that moment. Who had managed to shoot his father? The boy himself had not even heard a scuffle from the new presence, granted, he had been wrapped up in his own thoughts. It was very unlike him. His father turned and the boy followed his gaze, and what was before him shocked him to the very core. It was as if somebody had answered some impossible prayer that he had barely thought, and never uttered.

"You missed," D's father said, smiling.

"No, I did it on purpose," the mostly hidden figure said coolly, "I'd shoot a person in the back, but not to kill them."

"How very sportsmanlike," the tall being before D chortled.

"Necessary is more like it," the figure said, now walking into the light of the torched houses, "I have some questions I want to ask."

D's father's lips curled into a smirk as the figure became more visible to human vision. The man was pale, but he looked at his adversary with no fear in his eyes. "I'll humor you then, boy. You did care for my son so well. What is your first question?"

"Where's Kaiba?"

"He's feeling a bit under the weather, we had to cut the meeting short," he replied.

"What do you hope to accomplish?" Bakura continued, his face like stone, his tone oddly calm.

"That's rather vague."

"Fine. What do you hope to accomplish by performing the actions that you took tonight."

"Ahhh…" the giant man mused, pleasantly surprised, "I have a feeling that you know that there is more to my actions than I let on."

Bakura frowned. "You wish for more than what your people could ever understand."

"And how did you come by that knowledge?"

"Why do you want D-kun back so badly?"

The man scowled, crossing his arms. D remained frozen, unable to comprehend the situation. Bakura could not have been there, he was imagining things. He had…passed out; yes, that was logical, and his mind had formed what the boy had so desperately wanted. Bakura would not have known where he was going to be, it was impossible.

"Not to sound childish, but you hardly answered my question."

"I think that the answer to your question lies within my own," the young man retorted. "Why go after D-kun when you could have made another? It was obvious that you cared little for your experiments. I was one of them. Why D-kun in the first place? What was your purpose? What do you know about that no one else does? That no one else has thought of? Do I already know the answer?" Bakura glared into the taller man's red eyes, and it was then that D backed away, towards his younger friend and her father. There was danger there, something not Bakura-sama, something that had been there that frightening night when his friend had not been himself. He could almost feel the confusion emanating from the people behind him and empathized with them.

"I don't know what you know, Bakura Ryou, unless you don't need me to answer the questions you pose."

"Oh, I need answers…" Bakura almost whispered, "For all of them. But I will be content with just a simple answer to what it is you're planning."

"You seem to grasp that there is something bigger," the man replied, "that I long for something more than what most of those who I surround myself with could be contented with."

"There is always something bigger," the pale haired man agreed, but his tone was annoyed, "and the masses never really do understand, especially when you have more knowledge on the subject than they do. But did you ever stop to think of the consequences?"

"Yes, I have. I have had plenty of time to think on it. I know the way I'm handling it will be the best way. It will all be worth it, when the time is right," D's father answered, "You are an intelligent young man, Bakura, and although you've caused me enough trouble, with your constant escape attempts, you've taken good care of my son, and have given me far more data on his abilities than I ever expected to accumulate at this point in time. I could call all of this off, if you agreed to help me. No more would have to die tonight, and you would be given the greatest protection that I could offer. You're a survivor, dear boy, as am I. I am willing to forgive your past transgressions. Work with me, and we could be great."

Bakura folded his arms and shook his head. That dangerous look in the depths of the usually gentle brown eyes had not left. D clenched his hands together, hoping he could trust the man he had come to care so greatly for, and that he, as a child, had not made a poor choice in believing in him in the first place. He waited anxiously for his answer.

"The ends do not always justify the means," the young man stated.

"In this case, if you live long enough, you will see they will."

"You're making a mistake," Bakura responded, and D did a double take. Was that pity in his voice?

"And what would you know? I've had hundreds of years to come to my conclusions, and you? A couple of decades." There was irritation. D's father had heard it as well. "How could your assumption be more correct than my theory?"

"You're not remorseful at all? Not of what you've done to your son, or the other countless lives you've played with for your own benefit? Or the ones that may come in the future?"

"No, why should I be? Everything will balance out in the end. And what does that have to do with anything?"

Bakura's eyes narrowed. "You'll be the death of them all. Mark my words. It may take thousands of years, but with your intellect, I'm sure you'll see it. You'll see your end."

The man with the red eyes laughed. "I hardly think you're in any position to be saying such things."

"History repeats itself time and time again, didn't you know?" Bakura answered snidely, "They call it fate; destiny."

"Our destiny is to be great—"

"I will never join you," the young man interrupted, "It's far too late to be asking that. But it's not like I ever would have anyway. I see your thoughtless ways, and I see you'd drag us all down with you. I won't let that happen. I won't let you ruin the lives of those who I care for! I may not be able to kill you now but I will, I swear it right here, right now, before you and the destruction you create—"

"I've heard enough from you," the vampire snorted, and was in front of Bakura before there was even time to blink. D covered his eyes, not wanting to see the end of his best friend. All he knew is that his father's hand was raised. That's all he wanted to know.

"I will help D rid this world of your insanity," Bakura ended. The man before him, his arm a blur, made as if to gut him. Another shot rang out. It had come so abruptly that his father, his hand flat as a board, his nails just millimeters from Bakura's stomach, only could stare at the young man in indignation and confusion. D turned to see Amami and her father staring up with shock and fear frozen on their faces. It was as if time itself had stopped and he and the flame licking the sides of new buildings to burn were the only ones unaffected. And then Bakura muttered something, something that D could not make out. His father snarled something in return before a sharpened chunk of splintered wood appeared through his back and he went rigid, falling forward. Bakura stepped aside, his face unreadable, as the great hulk of a man connected with the concrete. He stood there for a moment, and then turned and made his way quickly to the small group in the middle of the street.

Seizing D by the waist, Bakura picked the boy up and hugged him. The child hung there in the man's embrace, his eyes wide in shock. It was when the other two reacted to his presence by parting their own grip on one another that it wore off and he was clinging to the man, trying to register that his best friend was indeed there. Somehow Bakura had managed to save him.

"Bakura-sama!" he exclaimed, burying his head in the crook of the young man's neck, waves of jumbled emotions threatening to overtake him. He felt a gentle hand pat him on the back before setting him down. There was anxiety in those eyes now, but they were his eyes again.

"We don't have much time," Bakura began, motioning for Amami's father to rise. "Wanatabe-san, I know that you and your daughter have been through a lot, and I know you want to look for your wife, but right now the best thing you can do is come with us."

"My wife is dead!" Wanatabe shouted, which set Amami off in tears again. D once again tried to calm his friend down, and was once again rebuffed by her father. "And why should I trust you? Either of you! You knew that man, that monster! He was like the one that…that…" He placed his head in his hands and wept. D turned to Bakura, wondering what they should do, and was once again surprised by his friend's actions. The young man almost lunged forward, pulling one arm away from Amami's father's face and delivered a sound slap to his right cheek. Wanatabe looked up at him, stunned.

"You'll both be dead if we don't move!" Bakura snapped, "Don't trust me if you don't want to, but know that I'm not leaving your daughter to die just because you gave up!"

"I'm not giving up!"

"Then get up," Bakura replied, motioning to Amami, "Pick up your daughter and follow me."

"But what about my wife?"

"What about your wife?" the young man replied callously, "you just said she's dead." Checking himself, he added, his voice softening, "I know you want to go back and change whatever happened. I know you want to honor her death…but the best way to do that is to get your daughter to safety."

The man looked up at the younger one searching his face for any signs of treachery, finding none. He nodded and allowed Bakura to help him to his feet. His daughter still clung to his shirt, but was now sniffling, finding strength as her father did. "What now?" Wanatabe asked, tired.

"We run," Bakura put simply, grabbing onto D's hand, "I only knocked him out."

"What!" came the surprised reply. D had already figured it so; his father would not have been taken out so easily. His astonishment was blunted, for it would have taken a lot for his father to have been bested, and Bakura had done so, but D was beginning to get used to the idea that Bakura was far more than what he let on. Possibly even more than what he knew himself. So with his faith in the man now solidified, D followed Bakura as he led the small group toward the other burning buildings. There was no need to ask why, as the boy could feel the man's purposeful direction. He either knew to go that way, or had an intuitive guess that there was something important that way. At any rate, he had found the child without even knowing he had been missing, and that gave D a feeling that he would know what to do now.

"I said I only knocked him out," Bakura repeated, a little breathless as he had begun to jog, "you try killing something like him." Glancing down at D, he smiled, but there was such a concern in his eyes that made D look away from him ashamedly. "Fancy meeting you here, D-kun, I could have sworn that you were supposed to be with Anzu-chan."

"I was worried about Amami-chan, I didn't want her to get hurt," he mumbled, unintentionally catching said child's eye and seeing something odd. Was that adoration? "I'm sorry about making you worry."

"It can't be helped," Bakura replied, "I'm going to worry about you until the day I die."

D turned back to the man's gaze so fast that it got the young man laughing. "Why?" the boy asked, alarmed.

"Because that is what happens when someone cares about someone else," Wanatabe responded, surprising both D and Bakura. "Not to be intruding on your conversation of course, but I was wondering why we are going this way? Aren't we supposed to be heading north like you first said?"

"That reminds me," D added, looking up at his hurrying friend, "why did you guys change the plan?"

"Plan? What plan?" Another confused response.

"It didn't make sense," Bakura said, "In theory it could have worked if the boats were operational, but like you said, the fuel would have most likely gone bad. Not to mention none of those boats have been maintained. What's the point of getting onto one if they can just walk across the dock, or leap into one?"

"But going north isn't going to get us anywhere, either," the boy replied. Wanatabe looked at the boy, his expression full of questions, but Bakura's reply seemed to stop him from asking.

"We can only do what we can," the young man said, stopping their hurried jog for Amami's benefit. "As much as I don't want to think about it, I know we can't save everyone." D watched the anguish form on his friend's face as he spoke the words, but it was faint, and he doubted if Amami or Wanatabe had even noticed. Was he hiding his pain to be strong for them? The boy didn't know, but he wasn't given much time to reflect on it. A dull thud reached his ears and it was followed by a yelp loud enough that the two adults turned their attention away from the children and Amami grabbed onto D's hand for comfort this time.

"What was that?" Wanatabe asked, and Bakura shook his head. He had no idea.

"I think someone is stuck in there," D pointed to the building on their right. The heat that came from the fire that had consumed the building was intense. Voices that could only be clear to D were muffled by the roaring of the flames.

"Someone is stuck in there?" Amami exclaimed, "We should go help them!"

Wanatabe shook his head. "I don't see a way in, and it would be too dangerous. The roof is bound to collapse at any moment."

"But Daddy!"

"There's nothing we can do."

D's eyes widened as another shout reached his ears. Looking up at Bakura with the light of the fire making him look all the more pale, he said…

"Bakura-sama…I think Jounochi is in there!"

He had played the game of life or death before. Once it had been against a serial killer. Another time, he played against a man suffering from more than just a mental illness. He even had jumped into the ocean to save his friend's cards. The last one seemed trivial, risking his life for cardboard, but it had not been. That had not been about monetary value, but the value of something passed down, out of love. He would have done it again, plunged into those freezing waters…but was it the same to dive through flame, when there was nothing on the other side but more death and loss?

'I should have known you would crack under pressure,' Kaiba's voice rang out over these thoughts, that voice which Jounochi so hated and despised, even if they had both come to some mutual agreement on civility. Under all of the new titles he had received from that man, he knew he was still that "stupid dog", and that all his accomplishments were returned with praise, not friendly, but more like a pat on the head for doing something right. Why couldn't it have been Mai's voice? Even if years had gone by, and he knew her chances of survival were nil, it would have been better than that cold and calculating bastard's voice. At least her voice had been pretty. 'You haven't changed, you're still worthless. So sit dog, sit and accept that you're going to die.'

"Fuck you," he growled at the voice and dodged Honda's power swing. He shouted in alarm before colliding with the burning wall.

"Don't make this hard on yourself," Honda said, repositioning.

"How are you going to live with yourself?" Jounochi retorted, patting at his smoldering shirt, "You're a coward! Selling yourself and _my sister_ to those freaks just to save your own ass, you're pathetic!"

"I did it for Shizuka!"

"Bullshit! If it all was for her then why are you planning on killing me?" He wanted to say more, but his lungs were so full of smoke he began to cough, and his eyesight became hazy. If he did not get out of there soon, being brained would be the least of his worries. Surviving was all that he was interested in now. That traitor's voice (he was almost sure of it now as Bakura had mused earlier) had awakened him. He would mourn his sister, but now was the time to survive and aid others in surviving. Pulling his gun free, he fumbled with it as Honda swung again, this time with more speed. Now a new hole was formed in the floor inches from where he had rolled. Sweat poured down Jounochi's face, and his lungs burned for the oxygen no longer prevalent in the air around them. He raised his gun and it was knocked out of his hands before he could even decide whether it was wise to shoot it in such a position. Coughing harder, he swung blindly, for the world was now a swirling orange with no distinguishable foe.

'Stupid,' he thought to himself as he swung, 'so stupid. I can't die like this, not like this because…' because then Kaiba would have been right all those years ago and he really would have been a worthless thing, making its worthless way in the world. He collapsed on the hardwood that was covered in the spinning orange and red that remained in his fading vision. His coughing became more violent as he heard the booming footsteps of his doom coming toward him. He was going to die. 'No fair,' his mind whimpered before meeting hazy black, lamenting his poor decision to react before getting more information.

The next thing he remembered was cool air, clean air. He sat up reflexively, and was promptly pushed back onto…cement. The push had been painful, but the spinning that was now going on inside his head took all of his attention. He wanted to vomit.

"Is he okay?" Jounochi heard a voice ask. He wanted to say something, to tell it he was still alive. It sounded so worried, and young. Before he could, however, his lungs seized and he was coughing again.

"He's alive," a more familiar voice replied, yet that too sounded as if it belonged to a child. Jounochi blinked and his eyes watered as the cleaner air stung them. He had not realized that they had been stinging before. "That's what's most important."

"Give him some space," another voice said and it was then that Jounochi's mind reconnected with reality. He blinked again and the blackness became the night sky, peppered with stars. There was light coming from his left, and he heard coughing on his right. His left arm hurt. It was probably burned or something.

"Are you okay?" The first voice asked. It belonged to a little girl, one that he now recognized, had promised to find actually. Fate had a funny way of dealing with that. She wasn't talking to him, though, but to the other coughing figure. The one he knew had spoken before.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he said, half jokingly. His voice was rough and his saliva felt thick in his mouth, but he continued, "Playing hero?"

"I'm not about to leave my friend behind," Bakura replied, smiling into the hand that covered his mouth, "but I'm not the only one who went in looking for you." He pointed to the man on his other side, Wanatabe, yes, Jounochi was supposed to find him too, before he began another coughing fit. Jounochi unintentionally joined him. Wanatabe looked on in silent concern.

"Still doesn't answer my question now does it, Bakura?" he said, now pulling himself into a sitting position, "How did you get over here so fast? How did you even know I was in trouble?" He looked around and saw D standing beside his little friend and blinked in surprise. "And what is he doing here? Wasn't he with Anzu?"

"It's a long story filled with a lot of intuition," Bakura replied, tiredly, "even I'm not sure how it's all playing out like this. I think we need to find Yugi-kun now though, and get Anzu-chan and their baby, and leave immediately."

"But what about the others?"

Bakura looked down sadly and shook his head. "We can't save them all Jounochi, we just don't have the manpower, nor did we have the time to prepare."

"But Yugi—"

"—is probably in danger as we speak. We should find him and leave."

Jounochi slammed his fist into the ground, ignoring the pain that raced through both hand and arm. "So we're giving up? You were as dead set against doing that as Yugi and I were, Bakura! What turned you into a coward and changed your mind!"

"Honda did."

Jounochi stopped and gaped at his friend. "Honda? But—"

"You saw what he became!" Bakura spat, and Jounochi flinched. It was like looking into Hell, those deep brown eyes lit with fire. "You saw firsthand what the people here will become, at least those who show some promise or loyalty! We can't save a thousand people, we can't save hundreds, but I'll be damned if I can't save those I care about!"

"Bakura…" Jounochi was at a loss for words.

"We should get going," Wanatabe said, interjecting into the conversation. Jounochi was grateful, for it took the odd look out of his friend's eyes, but he had been touched at the end, oddly enough, all the same.

"Can you walk?" Bakura asked. His tone was soft and apologetic.

"Yeah, I think so," Jounochi replied, and successfully stood after two attempts. "I might slow you guys down though, I don't know if I can run yet." He glanced down at his aching arm and sighed. Yes, it was burned. It hurt like hell, but it still functioned, so he figured it wasn't too bad.

"Don't worry about that," the young man replied before motioning for them all to follow. D hung back with Amami and her father as if sensing Jounochi's wish to speak with Bakura alone. 'Sweet kid,' Jounochi thought, 'but creepy.'

"Bakura," he began, "what happened back there, at the house? Where's Honda?"

Bakura glanced back at the three following them. D caught his eye and began talking with Amami almost feverously about some nonsense topic on Monster World. It could have been called cute, given the situation. He was pretending not to be listening.

"When we finally got into the house, there wasn't much to see. If there was anyone still there, I don't think they made it. I am truly sorry, Jounochi-kun." Bakura gave him a meaningful look and Jounochi did believe that he understood.

"I don't think she was there," Jounochi said, "but I don't think I'm ever going to see her again…" his voice wavered and he cleared his throat, "What about Honda?"

"It didn't take us long to figure out the situation, or what I thought was the situation. I had hoped I wasn't making a mistake when I prepared myself and got Honda's attention," Bakura continued, and then lowered his voice, "when he turned, I saw the bite marks…and I knew for sure. I stabbed him in the eye and shoved him down a hallway I think, but we grabbed you and got out as fast as we could. The roof collapsed just as we got you to the opposite side of the sidewalk. I don't know if…"

"Don't beat yourself up over it," Jounochi said, unsure whether or not he would have been able to take that advice if he had managed to do the deed, "You saved my life, and I'm grateful. And you are not a coward, I'm sorry for saying that."

"I appreciate that, Jounochi-kun," Bakura said, "but I haven't saved your life yet."

"What?"

"We still have to get out of here somehow."

Jounochi smiled. "If I die now, it's my own fault. Now, which way did we send Yugi again?"

Yugi ducked behind a useless car, out of breath, scared, and praying that he would live through the night. He tried to ignore the screams that echoed in his mind. He had not been seen yet, but he needed a better hiding place. That thing chasing him would find him soon enough.

It had all been going so well too. They had gotten a steady line of people heading north with most of the guards that Yugi had found. He had kept two, and the three of them had gone around, looking for people who may have not heard the message or people unable to respond to it. That was when they had been approached by that thing, that vampire. Yugi had barely had any time to register that he did not recognize the man before he was upon them, attacking them, making a snack out of them. With such ease and confidence ingrained in the monster's actions, Yugi was positive that they were surrounded, that they had just successfully sent the entire city to their slaughter. He was horrified, and the only one left alive, so he ran, after unloading his gun into the vampire. Unlike Bakura, Yugi did not have the element of surprise in the situation, nor a makeshift wooden stake to seal the deal. When the vampire advanced still, Yugi could think of nothing else to do but run. Now he was lost in the remnants of an empty city, realizing his chance of survival was almost zero.

"Please," he whispered into his clasped hands, "don't find me. I have a wife and daughter to take care of, please..." He wished his other half were there, a wish that had not surfaced for years. Even with the horrors that had come afterward he had been content with who he was, and able to make the decisions that he never thought possible. Now, all he wanted was those guiding hands; that answer to his problems, that answer that was always right.

He did not know how far ahead that thing was, nor did he know how far he had run. All he knew was that the further he ran into the city, the less people there had been, and now there were none. He was cornered, and he knew it. His mind was a wreck of emotions, but something pulled him out of his praying position. A child's laughter. Who could be laughing at a time like this?

It was then that he saw them, diagonal from where he was crouched. First Jounochi rounded the corner, then Bakura, and after them three others, two of them children. They did not know he was there, or that something was after him. He knew that they were making too much noise, and that the thing behind him would chase after them instead. He could not have that. If those two survived, then they would be able to take care of Anzu and Etsu. Yugi braced himself for his probable death as he stood, making himself visible. Jounochi was the first to notice him. His face brightened and he waved animatedly, which caught the attention of his group who followed his gaze and cheered, as if they had been looking for him.

Yugi shook his head hard, mentally counting the seconds left in his life. Motioning for them to go back, he yelled, "RUN!"

They did not. 'Why are they just standing there?' he thought to himself before feeling a strong hand clamp down on his shoulder. Yugi froze, thinking that if he turned to face the creature behind him, he would be more than just dead. He looked down at his feet, begging for everything to be a dream.

A gun fired. Being so in the moment he could have sworn that it had been he who was shot.

He collapsed to the ground as the hand that held him slackened, and welcomed the odd biting sensation of bits of rock pressing into his hands. Yugi heard the shouts of his friends and the strange gurgling that was coming from behind. He honestly could have kissed the ground he was now staring at when he realized that he was fine. Turning back to finally see who had grabbed him, he watched in awe as the vampire coughed up a bubble of blood, having been shot through the heart. The vampire was not dead, but at least he was stunned.

"What the hell are you doing? Stop staring at it and kill it!" A voice rang out, and Yugi turned his head away from the bloody spectacle to see one of the least likely montages of people right before his eyes. It was like fate (while cruel) was still on his side. Mokuba was standing there, hand still outstretched with the pistol he had injured the vampire with; behind him stood Aoki, a single woman who acted as a teacher for all of the younger grades; beside her was Nakano, a grocer; behind them was, lo and behold, his mother (how she had managed to survive befuddled him, the fact she was standing before him was another thing all together); and in the back was Kato, his most difficult to manage, yet hardest working guard, holding up a very injured, but alive Kaiba. He so mystified that he sat there lamely and it took another shot from Mokuba to keep the vampire down, and by then the other group had arrived and Jounochi was grabbing him, pulling him up while Bakura aided Nakano in disposing of the monster, which was now shot not only through the heart, but the eye.

"How did you?" Yugi began, unable to fully form the questions as others poured out, "What is going? How did this?"

"Calm down, buddy," Jounochi replied hugging him, keeping his view off of the gory display. Jounochi glanced back over his shoulder and could see Wanatabe doing the same for D and Amami, and wondered how necessary it was for the boy not to see it.

Mokuba cleared his throat, trying to get everyone's attention, even as the squelching and cracking sound of a head being decapitated pervaded. Most eyes turned to him. His brother's however remained out of sight. There was a dark blood caked blot that went from what looked like somewhere on his face all the way to the middle of his jacket. Mokuba did not seem to notice, but did note the two adults who were not looking back at him.

"You both almost done?" He asked of the now bloodied Bakura and Nakano.

"Almost," Nakano replied, and with a yank and another crack, held the beast's heart in his hand. "There we go."

"No, not quite," Bakura took it and crushed it under his shoe. Aoki and Yugi's mother gagged. The young man looked over at them apologetically. "Now we are."

"Great," Mokuba nodded, "Then, first order of business: was anyone bit?"

The whole group was now at attention, including the children. D's calm yet nervous eyes swiveled to Bakura's, who only looked back at him as if nothing was wrong. A chorus of no's rang through the air and Mokuba nodded again. "Well then," he said, "let's see."

It was an odd examination. In the moonlight they all looked like ghostly figures, each looked over with a flashlight by the teen, who at the end produced his neck for everyone to see that he was unmarked as well. He did not check Kaiba however, the latter seemed dazed and only just able to stand on his two feet. He had not spoken a word.

Seemingly satisfied, Mokuba put the flashlight away. "Now, I know you are all hell bent on going north or whatever," he held up a hand before anyone could affirm or deny the claim, "but that idea is now scrapped, understand? Valiant effort and everything, but if any of us is going to survive, you are going to have to come with me."

"Where are you taking us?" Amami asked, clutching at her father's shirt.

"We have a boat."

"But what about the fuel?" Yugi asked, now standing, and far less shaken.

"Don't worry about it," Mokuba replied cryptically, "My brother and I weren't rich for nothing. We need to go now."

"I need to get my wife and daughter!" Yugi insisted. Jounochi nodded somberly.

"Where are they?"

"The docks."

Mokuba stared at Yugi, who blinked, and shook his head. It had been a long day. "Well I was planning on sailing out of the stadium, but okay, the docks it is. You and your old ways of ships needing water to move and stuff." Laughter filled the group and somewhat lightened the mood. "We'll keep an eye out."

"I know the boat," D cut in, albeit cautiously. "It won't take long." Mokuba smiled at him, seemingly unaware of how entangled the boy was in this whole mess.

"Awesome, awesome. Anything else?"

"What happened to Kaiba?" Jounochi asked, motioning to the swaying man.

"Honestly?" Mokuba said, looking at his brother with forlorn eyes, "I don't know. I found him stumbling around on the sidewalk. I thought he was going to be having a meeting tonight."

"Didn't go so well for him, did it," Bakura muttered darkly, low enough to where he believed no one had heard him, but D gave him a poignant look, one that understood yet wanted more information when possible.

"I think we should probably get going with whatever you have planned," Yugi's mother interjected, "It's not safe here, right? And it is probably less safe for Anzu-chan to be left alone." She and her son nodded at one another in silent agreement.

"Right," Mokuba agreed.

As the streets were empty it took little time to get to the docks. At first they moved cautiously, but when as a group they figured that, sadly, the distraction in the north was where most of the danger was, they began to run. D could keep pace, but in order to keep the rest of the group from getting suspicious he and Amami rode piggyback with the adults, changing whenever their carriers became tired from the weight. Likewise with Kaiba, but Kato and Jounochi were the only two with enough stamina to do so. When they arrived they found the panicking Anzu and bewildered Etsu easily enough, and after apologies were made, and the situation explained, the remaining known survivors of this terrible incident were led to the furthest pier to the most well kept looking ship. Once inside they were greeted with splendor, and Bakura once again marveled at the fact that it was as if time had reversed. Who had protected this vessel? Who had maintained it?

"Fun fact," Mokuba began as they found their ways to a seat, Jounochi and Kato first placing Kaiba on a plush couch, "My brother modified the engine and fuel capacity, essentially making this thing able to sail as far as South America without needing to stop for fuel. Barely."

"Impossible!" Nakano breathed, "How could he have managed that?"

"Because he's a genius," Mokuba stated, giving the man a look, "We might have been a gaming company three years ago, but he was being taught the ways of business in warfare before the company change. Don't think that he wasn't forced to learn something about things like this."

"But what about the fuel?" Yugi repeated.

"When I said don't worry about it, I meant it. Just know that we have enough to get us somewhere far away from here so long as we aren't caught in the process."

"Can you sail this thing?" Jounochi asked, eyeing the still dazed Kaiba.

"Yes, actually. My brother taught me how. He was planning on seeing what the damage was like in other places. But…whoever went probably was never going to see Japan again. The chances of finding anything to make this run again would be slim. We were developing a way of communicating, so at least we could get the information. This isn't important now though." Mokuba waved his hand at the others, "if we are careful and ration what we have stored on this ship with whatever you guys have for that planned trip of yours, we should also be fine with food for a while. We have fishing equipment, just in case."

"How long do you think we will be out on the ocean?" Wanatabe inquired.

"Quite possibly a month," Mokuba replied.

"A MONTH?" Jounochi exclaimed, which made Etsu cry. Anzu glared at him, but his attention was still on the teen that somehow had become in charge of the situation.

"It is an estimate," Mokuba countered, "would you rather stay here then?"

There was a synchronized negative shaking of heads. D searched for Bakura's hand and found it, receiving an encouraging squeeze that calmed his nerves. The possibility of sailing for that long, being surrounded by that much water, just thinking about it made his stomach churn uncomfortably.

"Alright," Mokuba said, clapping his hands together, "Stay in here or go outside, but I'm turning on this ship and we are getting the hell out of here."

"Come outside with me, Bakura-sama," D whispered, holding the man's hand tighter.

"Of course," Bakura replied, "but why?"

"I want to see land. It will be a while until we see it again."

Looking at the boy with a compassion matched only by a loving parent to their child, he lead the boy outside where they could easily see the pier and the remaining boats, and of course, land.

"I'm sorry," the boy said softly, "for everything."

"It's not your fault, D-kun," the young man declared, "It never was."

"Don't leave me."

Bakura looked down at the child, ready to tell him that it would be impossible to on this boat, but saw in his eyes something more panicked and fearful than simply personal space. "I will never leave you," Bakura said, "until the day you no longer need me, I'll be there for you."

The boy smiled, and his grip slackened on the man's hand. His peaceful look quickly turned into horror as a loud bang reverberated in the air, and the sound of something metal creaking and snapping brought their attention to the newly burning fixture on their horizon. Too dismayed to realize they had begun to sail away, or to notice the small crowd behind them, watching with as much disturbed interest as they, while the Kaiba Corp. building began to tip and crumble, flaming from the inside. This last piece of the past that had stood tall, even in the midst of all this destruction, was now just burning, collapsing debris. D was overcome by a feeling of hatred from all this unfairness and he wanted to scream. He wished Bakura had been able to kill his father for doing this. Why could he not have just left him alone? The boy could hear Amami crying amongst some of the adults, and when the wind hit his cheeks he felt the cold streaks of his own tears, tears of frustration, anger, sadness, and hatred. He vowed he would not allow anything like this to happen again if he could stop it, determination a fire in those sad black eyes.

Bakura felt a strange wave of déjà vu, looking at this destruction, and suddenly he felt very alone. Where were they to go? What were they to do? He doubted anyone aside from his small group of friends knew about D's condition. What would the others do if they found out? Where was he going to get the blood D needed? He had only packed enough for a day, which might at most last a week. It was with this thought that he gagged. Unexpectedly he smelled something like burning flesh, and when he closed his eyes, he could still see the orange glow of fire. He was so preoccupied with this hallucination that had seemingly come from nowhere that he did not hear the gasps from behind him, or the warning shout from the boy beside him. However, he did notice something heavy and painful as it collided with his head.

Yes, he noticed that, and it was the last thing he was aware of for some time.


	17. Darkness

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Vampire Hunter D.

Whew...I was worried I wouldn't be able to get this on here in time, but here is the next chapter as promised!

Thank you Aldedron, Hellsyion, and ardent reader, your words continue to give me inspiration to keep going, even with all of the essays that I have to put up with this semester (and to ardent reader, if I can manage more back-story to aid you and others with less knowledge on a specific portion of the story, I will try).

Have a Happy Halloween! Enjoy!

Chapter Sixteen: Darkness

Bakura groaned as he regained consciousness. He hated this feeling, this queasy, mystified emotion, wondering where he was and how he got there. It was something he had experienced so often, and he'd had just about enough of it. As soon as he could see where he was, he was going to take a swing at whoever had hit him, and be damned that they were on some boat in the middle of the ocean. The problem with this, however, was that he was not regaining his sight.

Blinking in the darkness, he waited for what seemed like eons for the speckles of light to form, but nothing happened. Each second that went by produced a higher form of panic, and as he swung his hand in front of his face, seeing nothing, it only grew. Rubbing at his eyes he was just shy of hyperventilating when he realized that there was a change in his sight. It was still dark, but shadows were forming, and when he turned his gaze to another point in the room, he saw a small outline of light almost like a square eclipse. Feeling around and touching nothing more than a few wooden boxes, he turned his attention to a sound coming from the corner just opposite to where he had lain. A soft sigh followed by a sniffle, as if someone was trying to refrain from weeping any louder than necessary.

"Hello?" Bakura offered to the owner of the sounds, "D-kun?"

The sound stopped, followed by a new noise of quick rustlings. Bakura blindly picked his way over to the sound, tripping and walking into several piles of boxes along the way. When his hand touched the cold metal of the side of the ship he stood, hoping that he may see more than muted blackness and promptly smacked his head against the ceiling, making it throb. Maybe throb harder, as he had not paid much attention to his own plight after waking; best to just forget that vile feeling. Rubbing his head with the hand that had found a metal wall, he outstretched his other arm, hoping to find either the person who was with him, or another wall. That way he could at least huddle into a corner while he thought on the strangeness of the noise, and the delirium that he recalled he had been in just before the painful blow to his head. What he had not expected was someone grabbing at the back of his shirt and pulling him down into a sitting position with a force that pained his backside upon landing. Whipping around to try and see who it was he saw a dark figure outlined in the remnants of what he wanted to call light. Grabbing at the arm, he felt the wet sleeve, but the voice that followed seemed normal enough.

"Bakura-sama," the child began, and immediately Bakura pulled the boy into a hug.

"Oh, thank goodness," Bakura whispered, holding him close, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," D replied, obviously embarrassed, even in the gloom, "I should be asking you if you are okay, he hit you pretty hard."

Bakura frowned. "Who hit me?" he asked.

"Kaiba…" D paused, as if wondering if it were alright to refer to someone this way, "he did. We were watching that big tower of his fall down and all of the sudden he was there and he hit you with a hammer. A HUGE HAMMER AT THAT," he snarled, his disgust unhidden, "I don't know where he got it, but he could have killed you!"

"Calm down D-kun," Bakura replied, rubbing the boy's back and wondering to himself how he was even alive. "Where are we? Or better yet, why are we here? Where is everyone?"

"After Kaiba attacked you, he went off on this tirade of how it was your fault that all of this had happened and that they should throw the both of us off of the boat. We were barely out of the harbor. Jounochi-san grabbed him and took him inside. Everyone but Yugi-san and I followed them. We stayed outside with you. We were out there long enough that Yugi-san said he couldn't even see the land anymore. I didn't tell him if I could or couldn't." The boy pulled out of Bakura's embrace, but remained near him, continuing in a rush, "That was when Mokuba appeared and asked us what was going on. He had heard the commotion, but felt it was safer to get us out of there, and if someone had fallen into the water he figured someone would have came and got him. We told him what happened and he raced into the cabin. Yugi-san went in with him, I think to ask him for a first-aid kit or something, but he didn't come back for a long time, and when he did, it was with everyone, and by that time you had stopped bleeding. I promise I didn't drink any of it," he added hurriedly.

"Don't worry about that," Bakura said, feeling the back of his head. It felt sticky and matted from the blood, but he could not feel any cut on his scalp. It just felt like a bad bruise. He frowned again, wondering how it was even possible, and added, "Go on."

"I remember there had been yelling in the cabin, but I really wasn't paying attention."

"You should have," his left hand piped up, having been silently watching as the whole night passed by.

"Shush," Bakura snapped, "I didn't ask you."

"Touchy…" the boy's left hand replied, but its tone was somewhat shocked and it remained silent for the remainder of the conversation.

"I was just worried about you," D continued, his voice tinged with as much admiration as concern, "All of the sudden two of the men, I think they are Nakano and Kato, picked you up and Yugi-san took my hand. Mokuba and Kaiba were glaring at me, and I had a feeling something bad was going to happen. When we were inside I saw Jounochi-san on the couch, holding a towel to his side. It was red. I think whatever happened started a fight and he got hurt." The boy allowed the news to sink in, and when Bakura nodded, not giving away any emotion, he resumed. "Yugi-san quickly told me what was going to happen. They would allow us to stay only if we remained locked down in storage. Basically we are in the cargo hold with the food and our belongings. It's bigger than I expected for a boat like this, but like Mokuba said, they weren't rich for nothing."

"I take it that everyone else agreed?" Bakura asked, sighing.

"Considering they were seriously debating throwing us over until Jounochi-san and Yugi-san tried to stop them?"

"Yugi told you this?" The man's blood was boiling. Throw them overboard when they had done nothing to warrant it? He knew all of these people, had even had a sort of camaraderie with Nakano. Their change of heart was ridiculous.

"He didn't have much time to tell me, or much of a choice at the pace we were going, but considering the look I was getting from Anzu-chan I think that there were more sympathetic people on board, but the Kaiba brothers can sail this thing and well, no one else can. Not to mention how they dealt with Jounochi-san."

"Ah…" was all the young man had to say.

"Amami wasn't one of them though," D added quietly. Bakura jerked in surprise at this. "I think that since she now knows what I am…well, kind of. I doubt they know the extent but regardless, her faith in me is shot. I'm just like the ones who killed her mother and hurt her father, after all." The boy bowed his head and Bakura could think of nothing to do but pull him back into a hug. "She actually said that. 'You liar! You are just like those people who hurt my mommy!'"

"But you aren't," Bakura stated.

"I'm hungry…" D said, pushing him away again, "That just proves I am. I just saw one of your friends wounded up there, and I got really hungry. And I know we don't have enough, Bakura-sama, I might as well just…"

"Stop it," Bakura warned, "I didn't risk my life for you so you could throw it away by giving these people what they want." D stared at him in the darkness, his shock unseen by the speaker. "If it comes to it, which it probably will, you will drink my blood."

"But—!"

"But nothing. It won't be a decent amount in the least but you'll have something. They left us down here with the food, right?" the boy nodded, "And our backpacks, so obviously they don't see us as that much of a threat. They will leave us alone until land or something, and then most likely kick us off at that point. That's fine with me. Let them drown in their sorrows, forget their loyalties to us, it doesn't matter. All that matters to me is that you live."

"But Yugi-san and Jounochi-san?"

"Mark my words, on this boat they will either die for defending us too hard, or bend to the will of the two brothers. Mokuba's loyalty has always been to Kaiba. I'm not surprised he turned on us; and I won't be surprised if the others follow. That's how it goes when people don't understand something, find it dangerous, and then become in control of the situation. I won't blame anyone for wanting to save themselves, but I won't abandon you or give up my life just so they breathe a little easier while they run."

"But wouldn't it be easier for you if—"

"D-kun, remember, I've been experimented on, they won't trust me any longer if Kaiba has a say. He's probably livid that we were right in the first place. Not to mention," Bakura shifted and pulled the boy close again, "I don't usually like taking the easy route. Sometimes you have to sacrifice what you want or believe in for others, especially if they mean a lot to you."

"Is that why you think they'll turn on you?"

"Yugi-kun has a family to protect, so it's either them or us. There will be no compromise with Kaiba."

"But I'm sure that Kaiba would forgive you if you denounced me. You're persuasive, why don't you? I'm not worth destroying your life." D wanted to leave the man's embrace, feeling stupid, childish, and useless in his arms; but he could not. There was comfort and whether he wanted to admit it or not, he needed it.

"Maybe I believe you're worth it," Bakura said, staring into the dark abyss, wondering if it was day or night in the world above, "I didn't promise that I would stay beside you to go off and betray you what…a few minutes later?"

"Try several hours later," the child snorted, but he seemed to be relaxing.

"Well, several hours later, then," Bakura replied, smiling. "I take it that it is morning then?"

"No clue. Probably, but I doubt the sun is up. Yugi said he would try to sneak down here to see how we were doing when everyone is asleep."

"Sneak down here? How's he going to pull that off?"

"I'm not a mind reader," the boy said mockingly, "That's magic. I'm purely a science experiment gone right."

"Well, I'll just pull a few rabbits out of my backpack, and we will have a feast the likes no one else aboard has seen in years. Then I shall perform a dance that will tell us whether it will leak on the left side of the boat and when we will next get to shower."

"You're dumb."

"Smarty pants."

"This is fact."

They both chuckled at that but said no more, waiting for when Yugi would come to tell them what was happening above. In the darkness, time seemed not to pass for Bakura, all he knew as that exhaustion was overtaking his want for information. His head ached less and less as time went by; and by the time his eyelids slipped shut, unable to fight sleep any longer, he would not even have thought he had bumped his head. D rested against the young man, finding similarities in this situation to when they had first arrived in Domino. Then Kaiba had also been a main factor in whether they lived or died. However, now they had nowhere to run if things became bad for them. His left hand noted the boy's restlessness as the child drifted off to sleep, and muttered to himself about the insanity that had forced its way into their lives. He only hoped that the lunatic that D had followed would protect them; after all, the parasite did live in the kid's left hand. Not much he could do if the child did not think to use him. Not that it was only a matter of time before they were found again anyway.

_He was running again, and it was bigger this time._

_ D raced into the void, not knowing if it would be his salvation or his doom. What if it just circled around? It was his dream, but somehow it felt different. Like he did not have a choice in how anything went._

_ What would have been invisible stairs to most led the boy up higher and higher. He worried that it had been a fool mistake. The thing behind him was massive. It could probably grab him if it got under him. He did not want to look around, could not look around, and then he began to plummet. He screamed, clawing at the air, at nothing. It was freezing, like the water that he knew was under him as he lay sleeping, and as he fell further he could feel that sickening pressure, that draining of his will to move, and he could not help but scream again. It felt as if it would last forever, and that at the end of forever would be the hand of that monster, and it would eat him, body and soul._

_ He willed himself to awaken, and that was when his descent began to slow. D looked around confused as things began to take form. Rocks began to form an entrance, sand piled and became the ground that D landed on, feet first and perfectly balanced. He spun around to see if the monster had followed, however there was nothing but the usual dark swirls. The boy turned back around to face the entrance that seemed to lead into an even darker room. He idly wondered if that was even possible, but entered anyway, sure that the creature would at the very least not find him there._

_ Inside, although impossibly dark, he could see the walls that were now rubble as they held the ceiling in a precarious position. There were carvings, some he would assume legible, but the language that required them had been lost in time. In the middle of the dilapidated tomb (of this he was sure) lay what was once something important. How he knew this, he did not know, as he could not even discern why it would be important. It was just a pile of rocks._

_ "What are you doing here?" a disembodied voice inquired, and D jumped, his attention snapping to the entrance where a horrific yet familiar pair of red eyes hovered. The dark mass surrounding them soon became a body, an androgynous one it seemed._

_ "It's you again," D said, ignoring the question and imposing his own, "how did you know that I was here?"_

_ "I have eyes, you know," the being said, mockingly irritated._

_ "I'm well aware of that," the boy replied, already weary of this conversation. He wondered if this dream would be even less productive than the first one that he had partaken in on that odd night where Bakura had said such peculiar things._

_ "Well, it is fascinating seeing you again, I will admit," the genderless creature considered, "It still does not answer my question."_

_ "Would it help you to know that I do not know?" D asked, shaking his head._

_ "Ah, so you are 'dreaming', as you put it last time?"_

_ "I believe so," he replied shortly._

_ "Hey, there's no need for attitude, I'm not the one intruding."_

_ "It is my dream, so you are." D crossed his arms, his bravery returning. This child-creature was nothing like the thing that had been chasing him, and he was tired of being pushed around and played with._

_ "But don't you see you silly thing, that this is no dream? That the 'dream' you had where we first spoke was not a dream either? Don't tell me you talked yourself into believing that. Not with what you've felt." Its hand waved to the churning darkness outside._

_ "Then tell me where I am."_

_ "You are in my home, as I said before."_

_ "I am in no mood," D began darkly, "for games. Just tell me where I am."_

_ The creature blinked, apparently stunned. "I'm not playing a game with you. That would be too dangerous!"_

_ "Whatever. Just be more specific then. Where is your home, and don't you dare say here."_

_ "But it is," it replied, tittering, "Where I live is where this resides, unreachable to most mortals, save the foolish and the strong; not to mention usually only with help."_

_ D pondered this. "So you are telling me that this is not a dream, that I am somehow being teleported somewhere that feels like it has no beginning and no end, and that I should not even be privy to it?"_

_ "Oh, something like that, yes," the being said, smiling its wide and disconcerting smile._

_ "But how?"_

_ "That's what I want to know as well. I mean, I very much wish to talk to you about more matters than simply, 'How'd I get here this time?' We rarely have time for one another, you know? And I do get so lonely," the creature laughed harder, "but I suppose until you figure it out, you'll never know." D frowned, not amused, and the being shrugged as if the boy had not gotten the joke. "Listen, kiddo, I'll give you some advice. You'll be coming here, really coming here soon, I would guess. Then we can have a nice talk. For now though, you just can't handle this place. I can see it draining you. Look for the boy who wanders this darkness alone. He will teach you the strength necessary."_

_ "What boy?" D asked, perplexed, "You mentioned him before, the last time we spoke, but I have never seen another boy here."_

_ "But you have seen him…haven't you?" the creature posed, smiling yet again._

_ "No!" D snapped, "I would not have told you that I had never seen him if I had!"_

_ "Tsk…you need some manners. Do you even know who you are speaking to?"_

_ "Let me guess," he replied, sighing, "You are something I apparently want you to be?"_

_ "I can be," the creature said, "but only if we are friendly. Otherwise I might not want you back here."_

_ "What if I preferred not to come back?"_

_ It cackled. "Dear child, I don't think you have that choice. You wouldn't be here in the first place if you knew how to stay away."_

_ "So what are you really?" D asked, frowning. Before the creature could answer though, a loud sob reverberated through the cavern to their right. The creature looked down at its claws and D watched in awe as they morphed into tanned, weather-beaten although lovely human hands. Once again it was wrapped in a tan robe with a cowl to match, but now it loomed over him. No longer could those freakish red eyes be seen._

_ "He calls for me," it said wistfully. "But I think it best that I do not go. It is not safe to see him again, not yet. You are so lucky."_

_ "Who? Is he a friend of yours?"_

_ "He is everything. My route to your world and onward."_

_ "He is the darkness?"_

_ "Go to him, would you?" The thing faced him, and for a moment he saw something indescribable in its eyes. "If you truly haven't met him, go now. He is your only hope as much as he is mine. And you will never find someone else so self sacrificing." It paused, and then chuckled, "Then again, maybe you have?"_

_ D did not know what to do with this request. For all he knew, these dreams could be from the madness he had endured just recently. What if it was right though? What if it was not a dream? The pressure and chill on his heart was intensifying. He felt that he would only last a few more moments before he was doomed. The creature he had been running from may have its dinner yet. He did not get the chance to confirm or refuse the demand though, as the creature had disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared, which left D alone with a crying "darkness". He shook his head, and moved forward, hoping that this dream would end soon. Why couldn't he have nice dreams that helped him during the difficult times?_

_ The further he went into the tomb, the less pained his heart felt, the less his body ached. It was like he was leaving the area where the monsters lurked, and going back to the realm of men. He did not see the crying thing until the very last room, which had a doorway that was covered by cloths that seemed to lead outside. Or whatever could count for 'outside' in this strange world._

_ The adolescent was bowing, or appearing to at any rate. Its scabbed knees supported his lower body on the hard stone floor as it leaned forward, face hidden as its forehead pressed against the ground and its arms covered its head. It let out another sob, and began speaking in a language D did not understand. The young boy stood there for some time watching this display, feeling some compassion but not knowing what to do._

_ "It is okay" he began, not able to think of anything else. The teen stopped its crying, but continued to breathe laboriously. "Um…" He wondered what Bakura would have done in a situation like this and tried to emulate his empathy, "The monster isn't here anymore, it's okay. You don't have to cry?"_

_ "Monster?" A clipped and harsh, yet somehow familiar voice came from the kneeling teenager, and D took a step back, "but don't you know that I'm the monster?"_

_ "I…what?" D blinked. Surely they could not mean that. It looked no more like a monster than well, a stuffed teddy bear. In fact, even though older, he looked less threatening than D himself._

_ "They all died," the boy before him wept, "and I couldn't do anything…"_

_ D was frozen, shaken by what the person before him had said. It was as if it had taken the words from his soul and said them with the same agony he felt. Shaking the feeling away and not quite being able to, he continued, "I don't think it was your fault…and it doesn't make you a monster."_

_ "How would you know!" it barked at him, "I can't do anything right! I tried to make the ones who killed them pay, I tried! I tried!" It howled, clutching at its face, "but I was the monster, I was the one who needed to die, and I was all alone, no one would miss me, no one will miss me. I'm worthless…"_

_ "No, you're not," D said, still standing in the same spot, uncomfortable with the situation, "someone cares about you. Don't give up. You aren't a monster. Now who killed who?"_

_ "Does somebody care about you?" the young man asked, still not showing its face._

_ "Yes, yes there is someone." The boy did not even have to pause._

_ "Would you live for them? Even if you never got to see them again? Even if it meant damning yourself?"_

_ "I…" D began, and violently wished he would wake up and leave this strange dreamlike state, "I'm already damned."_

_ "That doesn't answer my question."_

_ "I would, because I know that's what he wants."_

_ "Is that so?"The teen replied, "I suppose you are right. That's all that matters."_

_ "Yeah…live your life for the people who care about you if you don't want to live for yourself."_

_ One hand slid lower and D saw the eye it had covered was a faded purple. "Do you live for yourself?"_

_ "I…" D did not know how to begin to reply. He did not need to worry much on it though, as a strange hiss came from below them and the floor began cracking beneath his feet. He gasped as the figure before him disappeared, and realized he had been too preoccupied to ask him his name. Was that really "the darkness"? What did that even mean? The boy had looked no different than he, just in different garb._

_ He began to fall again._

_ "D-kun!"_

_ The voice he heard sounded so far away, and he was falling so far down, back into that evil abyss that would steal his life from him, that not-quite-dream world. He looked at his hands, trying to pull himself back into reality, but instead of finding an annoying and well-known face on his palm he found a smooth surface. It felt like the parasite within his hand was no longer there, or had never been there in the first place. He slapped at his left hand with his right, as if this would make a difference in the absence._

_ "Stop shouting D-kun! It's okay, I'm here…"_

_ Shouting? Was he shouting? He remembered crying out as he had begun his descent. Who was calling to him? He wanted to see their face. D begged the darkness surrounding him that it was not the monster that chased him, with its thousand voices tricking him in some way. He reached out for anything and instead of continuing to fall into the cold darkness that had followed the collapse of the tomb; he was lifted gently and held to something warm and familiar, with a familiar thumping that almost sounded—_

—like a heartbeat. D opened his eyes to see Bakura looking down at him, worry etched into his countenance. He was not in a tomb or a dark swirling nowhere, but on a boat in his friend's protective embrace. Pushing away from the man, he tried to regain his composure. He could feel sweat beading on his forehead. Rubbing it off forcefully, he glanced back in the young man's direction. The concerned look was still there, and he motioned for him to sit back down. The child did so, intrigued with the idea that his friend might have been able to see him when others like him would not.

"Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?" Bakura began.

"I'm fine," D replied, "I did. It was nothing, don't worry about it. I didn't wake anyone else up did I?"

Bakura looked up at the metallic ceiling. "Not that I know of. Are you sure you are all right?"

"Yes, it was just a ridiculous dream. I'm sorry for waking you up."

"It's okay. Did you want to sleep more?"

D shook his head. "No. You should though. I'll wake you up if Yugi comes down here."

Bakura looked at him for a while, as if searching for something. Not finding it, he nodded. "I won't sleep much longer."

"Bakura-sama?" D asked, as Bakura resituated himself against the wall, "Do you miss your other half?"

The young man paused. "I said that a while ago, didn't I…" he looked down and mused, "I suppose it's stupid and again, I still hate myself for saying so, but I do. I doubt he'd have gotten us into this kind of a mess. He was arrogant, but viciously intelligent."

"Would you ever want him back?"

"I…no, it would be impossible. Don't worry about that kind of stuff. It's old news. What brought it up anyway?" Bakura tilted his head in inquiry.

D shrugged. "Nothing in particular, just popped into my head."

Bakura smiled. "Well, like I said, don't worry about that. If you do get tired, you can go to sleep, though."

"I know, Bakura-sama. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, or good morning, depending," he chuckled before settling into a swift slumber. D watched him for a time before standing again. Moving to the other side of the room he found their backpacks, which had been thrown down there with them as if they were tainted because they were theirs. Opening his, he pulled out the leather bound journal, and a pen. He looked back at Bakura who lay sleeping and sighed. He wanted to tell him about the dream that had not much felt like a dream, but he had so much on his plate already, D could not bring himself to. So after reading the first page and feeling soothed by the words, he turned to the second page and began to write a detailed description of his dream before he forgot it. Maybe he would tell Bakura later, maybe he would have him read it, or maybe if he had another dream, he could piece their meanings together, and figure out what was going on, and why he was dreaming those things. He even made a note of appreciation for his tagalong companion, finding comfort in knowing he was there, even if he could not stand it. Afterward, he went back to where Bakura slept, rested his head on the man's shoulder, and joined him in his doze, finding this particular darkness very warm and reassuring.


	18. Under The Gun

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Vampire Hunter D.

I also apologize to all of you who have been waiting so patiently. Thank you again Aldedron, for being a spectacular beta-reader, and thank you to all my patient readers. I hope you enjoy this, and that it was worth the wait.

Chapter Seventeen: Under the Gun

August 28, 2003

It has not quite been five days since we began our journey to nowhere. That is what it is, there is no denying it. There was no plotted course in the beginning, just Mokuba's insistence. The people above us may know what they are aiming for now with Kaiba at the helm, but down here in this dim there is no sense of purpose or direction. At the moment, Bakura-sama sleeps. He has been sleeping a lot more often I have noticed. I hope it has nothing to do with the injury he acquired before our banishment. Worse yet, he may not be sleeping at all, but trapped in that odd, not quite dream land. I have not had another dream like it since the last time, or spoken to "the darkness", but I feel that place, and those creatures are not something grounded in science. I hesitate to say it, but I will do so anyway for fear of ending up like that deluded man ruling the world above us. It may be something magical. Something more akin to what my friend, wait, no, I can no longer call him that. There is no word impressive enough for what I feel for that man. My "companion" says I should just call him "daddy" but that just sounds ridiculous. Not to mention my biological father has ruined any paternal phrase for me.

It still does not surprise me that Yugi did not appear the night he had promised to, or even the night after that. They had provisions already set up, and since they were rationing, that would mean that they would not need to come down here for at least a week. Needless to say, the two nights he did not make contact were very unpleasant for us. I believe I need not explain the necessity of bodily functions and all around cleanliness. Just know that we were grateful for more than just information. With his arrival came proof of his allegiance to Bakura-sama, in my mind, and with his words proof of others'. Etsu is obviously too young to much care for anything than smiles and playtime, but Anzu and Jounochi remain on our side, albeit silently. They all have to be silent about it; an unspoken decree was placed on the world above. We were meant to remain down here with minimal contact. Most of the food would be brought up, to better conserve it and keep it away from us. Not that this would matter much to me, but they would be rationing it for us, which would mean that Bakura-sama and I would probably get the smallest portions, and if one of us or both of us died, all the better. We were now considered a threat. _Are_ I should say, but is it not amazing that it only took about a day for almost everyone on the ship to turn on us? A child and an injured man, honestly what could we do to them? Let me rephrase, what could Bakura-sama do, and what could I allow myself to do? None of them realize it, but I do have something called self restraint.

And my companion is laughing. What a pain. One moment, please.

He is quiet now, and just in time. Bakura-sama had been stirring in his sleep, and I have no wish to wake him even if it worries me, especially if he is hurt and still intends to do as he said. Yesterday he forced me to drink the blood he had packed, and yes, I say forced and mean forced. I had no intention of drinking it until I absolutely had to, but after the struggle he said that it would have probably gone bad by then. Which he was right, it already had a rather distasteful flavor. Sometimes it amazes me how strong he can become when pushed, and if I had fought any harder I would have hurt him. But if he is also serious about "donating" (Oh that sounds horrible, but I cannot think of anything better to call it) he'll need his strength. I will not drink his blood any time soon though. I am fine. I will be fine for a while. I have to be.

Suddenly the room was illuminated by a large square beam of light. D turned toward it, blinking away the stinging of his eyes while one of the people from above climbed down into their cell. There was no denying that this was a prison and the person before him one of their jailers. The smell of the ocean, which had already been obvious to the boy, now encased his senses in its briny presence. A faint trickle of a breeze hit his cheeks and he wondered, not for the first time, if there was a chance for them to suffocate down there.

The person before him was none other than Kato, a man who used to be under Yugi's orders, but now only served Kaiba's. He had been down there yesterday and the day before to give them their scant meals. Yugi had warned them of this. No one who was even thought to be friendly with the people down below was allowed to deliver them anything. So it seemed that the man facing him would be their permanent guard.

The boy watched the looming figure with expressionless eyes. The man glared at him and practically tossed the two cups full of instant miso soup onto the ground. The cups clattered against one another, but remained standing. D did not move, but continued to stare at the man.

"What are you looking at?" Kato spat, "Think I'm tastier than what we give you?" The boy continued to remain silent and staring, which riled the man up further. "Stop looking at me, you freak, or I'll give you something else to choke down!" With a motion that almost seemed clumsy in D's eyes, the man seized D's face with one hand, gripping it with such a force that would have made most adults tear up in pain, and looped the thumb of his other hand in the belt loop of his pants. The boy remained as irresponsive as ever.

"What, too scared to speak you little shit?" The man hissed in his face, "Or does the idea seem tempting to you? Huh? Could get a little blood out of it?"

"That's enough," a quiet voice interjected sternly; "You've brought us our food, now let him go, and get out of here."

Kato looked up to see Bakura standing just beyond where the light could not reach, his face more illuminated by the glare than anything. The older man growled and was about to snap back at him when Bakura calmly walked over to the pair and gently removed Kato's hand from D's face. The boy blinked and watched as Bakura's gentle features distorted into something far less pleasant. The young man's attention was locked onto the taller man before him, and even for all of his bulk, Kato involuntarily took a step back towards the exit when their eyes met. Lacing one arm around the man's neck Bakura pulled him close, so close that they could have been kissing.

"I know, typically, you're stronger than me," Bakura whispered, tightening his grip on the man, "but, you'll be surprised at what I can do to you when I'm cornered. Threaten my child like that again, and I," he paused, leaned forward so his mouth was against the man's ear, "will show you just how much worse human beings can be to one another. Take my food away if you want, but the next time you come down here, he might not be the one you should be afraid of." To make his point more clearly he licked the man's ear. "I hear we taste like pork," he added, "Tonkatsu sounds good right about now, doesn't it?"

And he laughed when the man ripped away from his grasp and bolted up the ladder, slamming the trapdoor with a bang. The laughter sounded unhinged, but lasted only until the lock had finished rattling closed. That was when Bakura turned and spit into the darkness.

"That was just vile," he muttered to himself and sat down. "Could you bring the food here D-kun? I can't see anything right now."

"Sure," D replied, and brought the tray before Bakura.

"Thank you very much," he said and felt for one of the cups. D shook his head and picked one up, grabbing one of the waving hands and placed the meager serving of soup in it. Bakura looked toward him, not directly at him, and smiled. D's lips twitched upwards but of course the man could not see it.

"You are welcome."

"Did you want yours?"

D took his cup, swirled its contents, and placed it in front of Bakura. "No, I don't need it. You can have it."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

They could hear the muffled voices above them, but neither of them paid any heed. Most of the discussions were easy to figure out, and this time they were positive that the topic today would be about them. D tried to trim his nails with his teeth while Bakura consumed his latest meal at his leisure. There was a loud shout and a crash; the boy looked up with mild interest. The young man, however, continued his repast as if nothing had happened.

"Why did you do that?" D asked a little while later when Bakura was working on his second cup at snail's pace. The young man stopped what he was doing to address the boy.

"Do what?"

"Threaten him. He probably won't bring you anything else to eat until tomorrow. Maybe."

"I figured," Bakura replied, taking a sip of his soup before saying, "but no one is going to threaten you like that and get away with it."

"So you were serious?"

"As was he."

"What do you think he meant by it?"

Bakura glanced in D's direction. There was a dark look on his face. "There was no way that what he said could be pleasant for you in any way. Leave it at that."

"But it doesn't answer my question."

"You're a smart boy, D-kun, you don't need me to spell out what he was intending to do."

D blinked. "But he's a man."

"Just because he's a man doesn't mean he wouldn't do it. It wouldn't be about any sexual gratification either, but about his power over you," Bakura replied, draining his cup.

"That's disgusting."

The young man raised an eyebrow. "Which part is disgusting?"

"Why would someone want to do that to a child?"

"Because some people are sick in the head," Bakura said, moving the tray closer to the trapdoor, "and sometimes that sickness doesn't surface until times of great stress. But it doesn't really matter why right now. We can't change what he wants to do, but we can certainly stop him when the time comes."

"Do you think that time will come?" D questioned.

"Maybe, maybe not. It all depends on the politics that go on above us. I'm sure we will receive the brunt of whatever goes on up there," Bakura looked down sadly, "I'm sorry that this is all happening. It's not what I wanted for you."

"Bakura-sama, you gave me more than what I could have dreamed of, and what happened wasn't your fault."

"I made a lot of the decisions, D-kun; I can't ignore my part in this. I put my faith in the wrong people, and didn't keep my eye out for any of the dangers. They all died because of me."

D made his way over to Bakura. Those words had brought back his dream and he wanted to violently shake the man to get him to take back those words; but he settled on placing a hand on his shoulder "No," he said, "they died because of…"

"Don't even start D-kun, you are a child. None of this was in your power to stop. I suppose I cannot take all the blame however," Bakura sighed, "the man who gave the order to attack us has to take some of it."

"Not to mention Kaiba for being stupid again and not listening to you."

"That too," Bakura replied, smiling.

They sat in silence for hours in the dark, simply enjoying one another's company. D tried to make out what was going on above them, but it seemed like most of the passengers were outside; only a rare scuffling was produced right above them. Bakura wandered the room as if to reestablish his proficiency in walking through that complete darkness. D stifled a giggle when the man nearly face-planted after tripping over their packs, essentially all that those above had left them after securing their supplies in the cabin itself; essentially, the only thing that Bakura would have been avoiding in their cold, empty prison. What a thing they had already become used to, what a thing to find comfort in.

To those above, if placed in their position, may have gone mad. It required patience, a calm spirit, to sit there for hours on end doing nothing. Akin to solitary confinement in the time it took for Bakura to regain his bearings in the dark and find the boy, it was like being alone in a stifling darkness even for its frigidness, a box whose sides close in ever closer. Sometimes in those moments, the young man had to hold his breath to realize that he could breathe and that the darkness was not a vacuum.

When Bakura returned from his walk around the room, D noticed that he had both backpacks in hand. He seemed preoccupied as he handed the smaller one to the boy. D watched as he shifted through the pots, wondering what he was doing. Bakura looked up, feeling watched, and turned in D's direction, his face still unreadable.

"How much food do we have?" He asked the boy, who finally understood why he had been given his bag. D quickly flipped through the instant meals and cans while the young man resumed his rummaging.

"Everything we packed is there," the boy replied, "A little more than half of the weekend's food for our group." He remembered Jounochi admiring the fact that he could carry so much without complaining and pushed the thought aside. He had not bothered to ask Bakura how he thought his friend was doing, if it were up to the boy, Bakura would have spent all of his time getting better. The man did not need more stress.

"Keep it close," the man said, doubled over in his bag as if it would help him see what he was looking for. He grunted and jerked his hand away from the opening, putting his finger in his mouth. D could smell the blood immediately.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine, just a cut."

"It's not deep?"

"No."

"What were you looking for?"

"This," Bakura raised the knife with his other hand. D looked at it and marveled at how sharp it was. No wonder he had gotten cut.

"Why?"

"Many reasons, really," Bakura replied, putting it aside. It scraped against the metal and the sound stung D's ears. "I guess I don't need to check to see how sharp it is," he laughed softly, "by the way, keep your bag close to you. And take a sip of this." He tossed the boy a water bottle, which he had no trouble catching.

"Why?"

"Precaution. I don't know how quickly you get dehydrated. Maybe you don't need it at all. Maybe you know you don't. But do it for me, just a sip, just to make me feel better. Just in case." D took a sip and returned the bottle to the man, his eyes still inquisitive. "Oh…your bag?" The boy nodded. Bakura began rummaging again. "Because," he said, "we have to make it last a while, in case they don't come down here with food. And, if they take it while we are sleeping—"

"I'd hear them, you know."

"I know you are talented, D-kun, I'm just being cautious. Harder to get our stuff when it's in our arms."

"Why would they need it? They have more than enough food if they are careful with it."

"Insurance," Bakura stated, "Not to mention it makes us completely dependent on them. They are already trying to pull that crap on us now." Bakura stopped his searching and stared into his bag.

"Is the knife your insurance?" D asked, preoccupied with resituating the food in his bag so it fit perfectly.

"Yeah…" the young man murmured. He reached into his bag and grasped the thin piece of cardboard that had been poking up from the bottom. D paused and looked at the man, then to his hand, and his face became just as confused as the other's.

"Why'd you pack your cards?"

"I didn't," Bakura replied flatly.

"What?"

"I didn't." The young man grabbed his bag and turned it over, all of its contents crashing onto the ground. D covered his ears reflexively and looked up to the thin outline of a square that lead to the outside world, hoping no one would come and investigate. However no one came to look into the source of the noise. He had a feeling that something bad would have happened if they had. Bakura shifted through it all and frowned. "That's the only one." He squinted, and then hurried to the only light source. D watched this display with growing anxiety. He had a feeling he knew what card it was.

The man did not speak immediately after he returned to their spot, but packed his things, including the card. Taking the knife in one hand, he motioned to the corner where they usually slept. "Care to take a nap?"

"What?" D asked, "What about the card? Which one is it?"

"It's not important," Bakura replied, his eyes not meeting D's, which only furthered the boy's suspicions that it was, "What is important is that we are both well rested. Whether we like it or not, our clock is ticking. Sooner or later all hell is going to break loose. It might be a storm that capsizes the boat, or a mutiny that ravages it. Or they all might decide that it is best that they throw us overboard for protection. Kaiba is an asshole, there's really no better word, but he's also smart, and in charge of the situation. That will work for a while, but by next week, or the week after that, that could mean absolutely nothing. I'm going to make sure we are ready, though."

"Is that why you've been sleeping so much?" D questioned.

"Yes, well, partially. Sometimes I fall asleep without realizing it. It's so dark in here you know."

"Do you dream?"

Bakura blinked. "Yes, but nothing very interesting. My dreams are rather muted compared to our experience."

D nodded. "Bakura-sama, I trust you, you know that?"

The young man smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. It means a lot."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do."

Taking in a deep breath, the boy prepared himself for any backlash. "Don't hide anything from me, then. I'm not five you know. I don't need my hand held or my eyes covered."

"What do you mean?" Bakura looked at D with inquiring eyes. They did not miss their mark.

"Does your head still hurt?"

Bakura chuckled, seemingly relieved. "No, it hasn't for some time. I was really lucky."

"And your dreams are boring?"

"More like a vacation I hate to say," Bakura replied, frowning. "Some things that I dream about are things I wanted to show you. Or I'm sixteen again and hanging out at the arcade." D nodded, accepting this answer. "But what is your real question, D-kun? What do I need to do to prove I trust you?" The man grimaced, and the boy realized he knew what was coming.

"Tell me what card you found, and what you think it means."

Bakura sighed and tossed their bags into the corner wandering away from D. The boy was half expecting him to not reply, but as the man got into a comfortable position, with his head resting against his respective backpack, he answered. The fact that he would face it even though D knew it scared him, made the boy admire the man even more.

"You've seen it before," the man began, "The one that you thought you saw when I almost missed the balcony…the one that we definitely saw the night that everything went wrong. Diabound…" Bakura pressed his palms against his eyes, "I rarely ever played him, and he wasn't even my favorite card."

"Which one was?"

"Change of Heart," he replied, "it was a spell card. You got to take control of one of the other' player's monster for a turn; it was helpful if you played it just right."

"Was that why it was your favorite?"

"I also happened to like the picture," Bakura said, smiling a little at the memory. "When it comes to games I've always gravitated toward the magical characters or items."

"If I remember, Diabound sounded very magical and strong…"

"Oh, there were plenty of cards that could have defeated him, not in battle, but in general. But you're right; he's not a horrible card. I just don't know why he keeps showing up. None of us have the Millennium Items anymore…And I haven't blacked out for any reason aside from the obvious blunt trauma…"

D suddenly jerked, a memory flashing through his head. "We're going east!" he blurted, before covering his mouth.

"East?" Bakura asked, "Well, I suppose we are but what does that have to do with anything?"

"I need to cross two in the east and one if I go west, but going west is harder. It's where the others really come from…you said that, when…" D bit his thumbnail, stopping himself just short of the truth, before finishing, "you were sleeping."

"I did?" Bakura tilted his head, "I don't remember."

"Well, you were asleep," D stated. However he thought, 'or possessed, but we can't be sure, we can't be sure of anything right now.'

"Either way I guess none of it really matters. It was probably just a coincidence both ways," Bakura patted the empty space just beside him, "Come on, we need to get some rest. We have more tangible problems to face in the near future. Let us worry about magical appearances and dream-speak later."

D nodded, actually relieved to be off of the subject. Something about talking to Bakura about his epiphany made him feel ill, as if it was only validating his own nightmares as reality. Maybe that had been why Bakura had not wished to talk about it, because it was unpleasant to take one's beliefs and flip them on its head. D had believed in nothing but science prior, maybe Bakura did not want to take him down the road of irrationality. If anything good had come of it though, it had helped to prove their trust in one another; D could at least be grateful in that respect as he lay beside the man, staring up at the darkened ceiling. At least if he was going into this strangeness, Bakura was there beside him.

More days passed as they waited for land or for when the day came that the crew would rid themselves of their presence. According to D's internal clock it was most likely September 2nd. Bakura's birthday. Tomorrow would be a sort of anniversary, the day they had first met. D mused on how to go about celebrating such an occasion, considering the circumstances. As they both had predicted, no one had come to collect the cups, or replenish them. He felt rather perturbed. Bakura had promised to show him that celebrating birthdays could be fun, but that had been before, when they had been safe and comfortable in the apartment. He may never know what Bakura meant now. How could one have fun in a dark room that smelled rather unpleasant, with a bunch of cookware and a small supply of food that the young man had refused to touch until yesterday, in which he only had bothered to eat a packet of Hello Panda? The boy knew he was trying to make it stretch, but it seemed extreme. Almost as if he were testing how long he could last without eating something. D shook his head at the thought and continued to mope about the lack of a birthday party. He could have cared less about whose party it was, he had just wanted to see what one was like.

"Hey, D-kun," The boy's pout immediately disappeared as he turned to his comrade who was eyeing the knife he had found days before with interest, "Are you hungry?"

"No," he replied sharply, but it seemed the man knew he was lying. His eyes turned from the blade to the boy's dark gaze, and D looked away, ashamed.

"I've been really underfeeding you haven't I?" Bakura asked sadly. D shook his head and made his way over to the man, feeling cool skin against his own as he gently took Bakura's hand and pulled the blade out of it. Anger deep inside of him flared. Bakura was freezing, and the boy could do nothing to remedy it. The bastards could have at least given them a blanket.

"You're doing fine, Bakura-sama," D said, hugging him not for comfort, but to give the man his warmth, if he had any. "I don't need it right now. I…" He paused, not wanting to say it, but knowing that he needed to, "I will tell you when I do."

"You promise?" Bakura asked, cradling the boy's head against his chest.

"I swear."

"Good enough for me," he replied, and yawned, "You think I wouldn't be tired…what time do you think it is?"

D glanced at the locked trapdoor, studying the light. "I would guess maybe late afternoon?"

"And the day?"

"Dunno exactly," D shrugged, "I think its September."

"Estimated guess?"

"Kinda. I've been sleeping as much as you. Time's funny down here. It might be your birthday today."

"What a birthday…" Bakura scoffed, "At least I've had worse."

"Yeah," D replied, and Bakura gave his shoulder a pat.

"I guess I'll just have to figure out what to do for yours to make it special. We should be off of the boat by then at least."

D shrugged again. "All I really want is a toothbrush right now."

Bakura laughed and it lightened the mood in the room, in D's opinion. "I do, too. Or a blanket…" He shifted and D let go in order to allow him to stand, "It's cold."

"And stuffy," the boy replied.

"And stuffy. Want to play tag?"

"What?" D asked incredulously.

"Well, what else are we supposed to do? I feel so useless lying down, might as well do something that can keep us warm."

D studied the man, almost ready to question his sanity. "I guess so, but I can see and hear better than you down here. It won't be fair."

"I'm taller and have longer reach, it'll even out."

"Whatever," D snorted.

They could not really run as Bakura on more than one occasion face-planted into a wall, and they forgot to keep score (D assumed he was still the winning party), but the idea did keep them active and amused long after the outline of light dimmed as night set in. At that point Bakura could no longer see past his outstretched hands, and he could not help but snicker every time he bumped into the ladder that lead to nowhere which only made D start sniggering at his clumsiness. By the time that the trapdoor opened the two were huddled in two opposite corners covering their mouths, laughing. They did not notice the people behind them until the trapdoor closed with a muted clang.

D's head snapped toward the direction of the sound and gasped when he saw the figures standing there. It had been just long enough for him to distrust the presence of other people that he dashed behind Bakura, unknowingly baring his teeth. Bakura crouched low, using one arm to shield D in case the looming people thought of attacking, the other searching for the knife. It was only when they shined the flashlight on them and spoke that the two were shaken out of their defensive reactions.

"Oh my goodness," Anzu cried as Bakura shielded his eyes from the light, the missing knife now glinting in his hand. D looked over the man's shoulder and was shocked to see that those he thought were their aggressors were none other than the people that they had wanted to see most.

"Shh!" A voice that could be none other than Jounochi's snapped, "You want to wake up the whole boat?"

"Put the knife down, Bakura-kun," Yugi whispered with his hands up in a harmless gesture. Bakura, still squinting, lowered the knife, but did not release it.

"Is it just you guys in here?" he asked, trying to see past them, but the light he was no longer used to left a colorful glare in his vision, and even those in front of him were still shadows.

"Yes, Etsu is with Yugi's mom," Jounochi said, gripping his arms, "Jeez, it's freezing in here too?"

"She knows?"

"Yes, she's our lookout. Everyone else is asleep."

"Why did you come down here?" Bakura asked, backing away from the group, still covering D. The boy was more curious now than afraid and watched the developing scene with interest. Why had they come?

"To see if you guys were okay…" Yugi began, and Bakura scowled.

"Do you think we are okay?" the young man hissed, "No one has come down here in almost a week."

"No!" Yugi replied, "That's why we came down here!"

"Want to be any louder, Yugi?" Jounochi said, "If they find out we're down here, then we're all out of luck."

"We brought food. I knew that they forgot about the bags, I thought that that would be enough until we were able to get down here."

"Sorry, I didn't get that letter, Yugi-kun. Did you put it in the soup cup? I might have drunk it." But for all of Bakura's sarcasm, he was smiling at the group.

"I'm so sorry Bakura-kun," Yugi said, "We all were trying to get down here as soon as we could."

"We had some problems," Jounochi added, as Anzu set the flashlight on the floor.

"Why don't you elaborate?" Bakura said, setting the knife aside and motioning for everyone to sit down. D, feeling particularly embarrassed about his initial reaction, came out from behind the man and sat on his left. The group had now made a small circle around the flashlight.

"It's almost like camping," Yugi murmured. D was surprised to see Bakura give the man a soft smile.

"We're just missing a few people," the pale man replied. Anzu stifled a sob.

"And a deck of cards or something," she added, wiping tears away.

"Don't forget the star chips…" Jounochi said, chuckling.

"Star chips?" D asked, unable to stop himself.

"Oh, something that had to do with a Duel Monsters tournament. In order to advance, you had to have ten."

"And I thought those days were awful…" Yugi said, sighing, passing the food that they brought to Bakura. The young man looked at the boy who only shook his head. Bakura nodded and began to eat, making sure he did not overdo it.

"They were, your grandfather's soul was on the line," Bakura said between mouthfuls, "It's just that it was a long time ago, we don't remember what it was really like."

"It seems silly now though, considering everything that has happened since then."

"Hey," Jounochi interjected, looking at D with concern, "Aren't you hungry?"

"No, but are you okay?" D replied, changing the subject.

"Okay?"

"You were hurt the last time I saw you."

"Oh," he chuckled, "Yugi's mom is good at sewing and stuff, and she helped me out a bit. I'll live, if that's what you're asking."

"Does it still hurt?"  
"Oh, yeah, but it looks like it's healing…"

"What happened?" Bakura asked.

"Oh, just bullshit."

"I asked for elaboration, I expect it."

"Well, funny enough it wasn't Kaiba who did this," he said, lifting his shirt and revealing a jagged wound on his side, just above the hip, "He just seemed to have a vendetta against you. Naw, this was Kato getting me back for being too rough with the newly established leader."

"That man is unstable," Bakura replied.

"Seriously, but he's all on Kaiba's side so he gets special treatment. I hear that you freaked him out the last time," Jounochi eyed the other man curiously, "It wouldn't really surprise me, you're good at that sort of thing…but did you really tell him you were going to cut him up and eat him?"

"Not so descriptively…" Bakura said, chuckling, "but he was threatening D-kun, I wasn't about to let anything like that slide."

"What'd he say?"

Bakura looked around the group and said simply, "Just keep Etsu-chan and Amami-chan away from him."

"We do," Anzu said, shivering, "but I don't even want to know why you say we need to. He's frightening enough as it is."

"Are you okay by the way, Bakura-kun?" Yugi asked, "Your head, I mean."

"Yeah, Kaiba went to town on you. I was surprised when Yugi said you were even talking the last time."

"I'm fine," Bakura said, "I don't know how, but I am. I'm more concerned about other things, like what's going on up there, and what was wrong with Kaiba."

"Well I think it's pretty obvious what is wrong with Kaiba. He was attacked by something he didn't believe in, and somehow survived it. And then everything goes down the shitter…"

"Jounochi!" Anzu warned, glancing at D in a way that almost made him smile. She was looking at him as if he were just a child, not meant to hear such words. It was refreshing to be thought of by others other than Bakura like that.

"Fine, the toilet, is that better?"

"Only somewhat," Bakura replied, smiling. "Continue."

"I don't really know what you want us to tell you. Yugi's idea to come down here and see how you were doing, which we've been planning for a while, was the most excitement we've had going on. Most of us just sit around, trying to think of ways to forget about the situation we're in. There's not much to do up there, you know?"

"There's no talk of us at all?"

"You're practically dead to the Kaiba brothers," Jounochi said, "everyone else is wary of you, Bakura, since you threatened Kato like that, and they don't know what to think of D."

"Please don't lie, Jounochi-kun," D interjected, reaching out and gently touching the man's hand as he did, "I know that they want me dead, and you already said you guys had problems. There's no reason to lie to us."

Jounochi looked at the boy, stunned. Yugi bit his lip and nodded to himself. The two prisoners (which was essentially what they were) turned their gaze to the shorter man. "Everyone is watching everyone up there. Everyone on this ship knows someone in some way or another, but none of us have ever had to share such close quarters. Unlike the ship that took us to Pegasus' Island, where we knew what day we would land and what to expect, we know nothing. People are edgy. They just want to live."

"And they see the two people who are out of sight as a threat."

"Yes, exactly," Yugi affirmed, looking at Bakura intently, "They assume that whatever D is, he is like the people who attacked their friends and families, regardless of the fact that he can function during the day."

"That only makes him more dangerous."

"Precisely. Not to mention that he has you on his side. For the most part, everyone thought you weren't going to be much of a problem, just protecting the wrong person. But then you pulled your stunt," he gave the pale haired man a look that was almost pharaoh-like, "and everyone now thinks he must have bitten you or something. Everyone saw you get attacked, you shouldn't even be standing, let alone carrying on a conversation with the ability to intimidate someone like Kato."

Bakura looked right back into the other's eyes with as much curiosity as disdain, "Is that so."

"You know it is."

"Do you want proof that I haven't been?" he said coolly.

"No, and there's no reason for that attitude."

"Then stop looking at me like that," he growled.

Yugi blinked, taken aback. "Bakura-kun, are you okay?"

"Yeah man, all's Yugi was doing was telling you what was going on," Jounochi said, shifting as if he might have to react to something soon. D looked up at his friend, confused. What had brought on such aggression between the two? The man seemed quite neutral however, and when he next spoke it was as if the hostile tone had never been.

"I'm fine," Bakura replied, a bit miffed, "I just asked you to stop glaring at me."

Yugi blinked again. "I'm sorry, I was unaware I was. It's dark in here, maybe I was squinting and you got it confused."

"Oh, well then, I'm sorry," Bakura said, frowning, and changed the subject, "I doubt that whether or not I was bit would really matter, huh? I was experimented on. Do you think that they take that into consideration?"

"Probably," Yugi agreed, now also ignoring the exchange that had transpired. The others in the room looked at one another, visibly perplexed. "Not that it really matters. You guys are stuck down here whether or not it is fair."

"Has Kaiba decided what to do with us?"

"He hasn't told any of us anything. He's keeping it all pretty close to the chest."

"But if we are speaking frankly, Yugi-kun, D-kun and I don't have much time, do we?"

Yugi scratched his head, looking at Anzu and Jounochi for other opinions. Anzu shrugged while Jounochi shook his head. Yugi sighed. "We can only hope that he doesn't do something drastic. But if you want my honest opinion—"

"I do, Yugi-kun."

"No. I don't think you have much time at all. Keep the rest of the food we managed to save up for you. We'll try to come down here as often as possible to give you more, just in case."

"Yeah," Jounochi said, his voice cracking, "and keep those backpacks of yours close."

Anzu had already begun to cry. "It's not fair, why is this happening?"

Bakura shrugged, "I don't think there really is a reason."

The others spent only a few moments longer down in the darkness with the boy and the young man. The goodbye was tearful and filled with promises. In the end, Bakura found the whole experience emotionally draining. When the trapdoor closed once again, he sighed, putting his hands over his face. The whole situation was ridiculous, and he hated being in it.

"Bakura-sama?" The young man looked down at the boy beside him, who looked hesitant.

"Yes, D-kun?"

"Today's the day we first met," the child stated simply, and looked out into the darkness, seeing the things that Bakura could not.

"Is it?" Bakura asked, his heart feeling lighter at the thought.

"Yeah."

The young man put an arm over the boy's shoulder, smiled, and said quietly, "Then today is a good day."

And considering the situation, it was.


	19. New Lands

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Vampire Hunter D. And I apologize for this long, long wait. There were some busy schedules and technical difficulties in getting this sent out to you lovelies. Thank you for sticking with this story, and thank you again Aldedron for being such an awesome (and patient) beta reader. Enjoy!

And Happy Halloween once again!

Chapter Eighteen: New Lands

"This is as far as you go."

The neon green haze in the far distance to the left was what unnerved him. Not this situation, not the gun that was pressing into the back of his head. No, he had come to understand, why everything had played out like it had, why they had been persecuted. Part of him actually did not blame the man for doing this. It was just his way of survival.

It was just Kaiba's way of not being followed.

Yugi and the others had lived up to their word. Bakura did not go hungry, and by the end of another two weeks of waiting in the dark, the two backpacks were still full. D had been surprised when Bakura had procured a syringe from his bag, and even more so when the man showed aptitude for placing it into his own arm. It seemed the man had planned for something like this, or some intuitive spark had guided him to do so. While D was never full with what Bakura offered (for which he could not blame him, neither of them were doctors, nor could they assume to know how much was too much) he was content. His hand had even received some form of nourishment while down there; much to Bakura's never ending amusement. It was as if everything was falling into some sort of pattern. A peace.

"Take your tainted things and leave."

It was obvious to the two that they had not been expected to survive. The day that they were pulled out of their prison and into the icy wind of the sea, there was almost a collective gasp at their appearance. At first Bakura had not dared to look at his friends for fear of giving their loyalties away, but looked out over the ocean, the gray scenery welcoming them with enough light to sting his eyes and make them water. He tried not to squint for it would only give them one more reason for throwing them overboard, if they already did not think it. At that thought he did look at Yugi with inquiring eyes, and saw despair. This would be the last time they saw one another. Bakura gave the slightest of nods, understanding the man's position. It was the same as his after all. What they would do for their children overrode any bonds of friendship.

When he turned his head away, he caught the gaze of another. Finally, after just less than a month of imprisonment, he was facing the man who had put them there. Kaiba. The man stood there as resolute as he ever was, and just as cocky. What Bakura saw in his eyes, though, was something he could not fathom, and when the taller man looked down at the boy, where Bakura had expected contempt, he only saw sadness. Although he did his best to remain stoic on the outside, Bakura was flabbergasted, his entire core shaken. This was not the man he had been expecting. Looking at him again, searching for anything that could have lead to such a change, he found his answer. After seeing it, the young man almost cried.

He recalled the night that seemed so long ago, where they had not only found Yugi, but Mokuba and the others on their escape from the city. Kaiba had been dazed, in a semi-conscious state. He had been caked in blood, most of it on the side of his neck. Suddenly, everything that had transpired afterwards made sense. Why else would he have attacked Bakura? Kaiba was aggressive, to be sure, but he would not have attacked him simply because the other man was right. Not even for the destruction of the city.

But if he was the reason that the other was made a pawn, that his life would be taken away…and the scarf that was tied tightly around his neck was not just for show…

If Kaiba had truly wanted them dead, he would have taken their bags. He knew they had been packed for a trip. Kaiba had not been the one to attack Jounochi, even after the other had spoken against him. Bakura hardly heard the words that Kaiba now spoke, hardly saw the gestures to a small inflatable lifeboat. Finally, after Kaiba had concluded his speech and asked for Bakura's last words, he spoke as clipped as he could to not give the man's secret away.

"You knew." It was damning for him to say such a thing. D looked up at him in shock, showing what those not privy to his mind saw would assume. They would think, 'you knew I was on their side,' or 'you knew that I had been bit.' All for the better, for as much as he despised the man before him, he did not want to ruin his life further. It was already destroyed, but he still had Mokuba, and his brother needed him.

Kaiba glanced at Yugi, who was looking away. This answered Bakura's question. He had known what Yugi had been up to, and had said nothing.

"Yes."

"Is it because of him?" Bakura nodded to D, who only looked more confused.

"Of course it is. Why else?"

Bakura sighed inwardly. Kaiba Corp. had been a gaming company. Kaiba had poured a good bit of his profit into making Kaiba Land for all children to enjoy. He may have used it for other means at one point or another, but if anyone could look past that, past the money it would make, they would have seen someone who genuinely cared about making kids happy. Maybe he was cocky, maybe he had a homicidal edge, maybe he treated his peers and adults like crap; everything paled in comparison when it came to his hidden compassion, though. Bakura wondered if Kaiba had seen a bit of himself in D. He remembered hearing stories about Kaiba's life prior to his rise as CEO. It would make some sense.

"I see. Then all I have to say is good luck to you all."

"There's no such thing as luck."

"Of course there isn't."

They were guided to the orange lifeboat, and then lowered into the sea. Bakura could only watch as the other passengers stared over the edge. He would probably never see their faces again. Mokuba looked ill, but remained resolute beside his brother. Kaiba's face was now like stone. Yugi held a silently crying Anzu, who held a crying Etsu. His mother had a hand over her mouth, looking miserable. Jounochi was aiding their departure, making sure that they would land as gently as possible on the water, but Bakura could see in his face that this was not where he wanted to be. He was injured though, and they had the supplies, along with his other friends. The others just looked on maliciously, contemptibly.

As the ship sailed away, the young man took just enough time to wave before really looking at their situation. D was huddled on one side of the raft, having not been able to help himself after seeing Amami glare down at him; he had bowed his head to hide the tears. Now he shook forcibly as he let himself cry. It was embarrassing, and he knew that his resident parasite would never let him live it down, but everything had just become too much for the boy.

"We…are going…to die!" he cried between heaving breaths.

"I doubt that is what is bothering you the most, D-kun," Bakura replied, not uncaringly, grabbing the plastic oars that they had been allowed. He wondered if there was another one of these life-boats on the ship. He figured there was. Kaiba had shown some compassion, but he was not self sacrificing.

"She hates meee…they all do…everybody wants me dead…"

"Everybody is a sweeping generalization, D-kun, I don't want you dead." He began rowing, taking great care to make sure that they were going as far away from the glowing portion of the horizon. He hoped that they were far enough away that they would not be affected. He wondered briefly if D could be affected.

"Everybody else does!"

"We don't know everybody else," Bakura soothed, hiding his own fears, "not to mention that Kaiba isn't ditching us here because of that."

A sniffle. "What?"

"Kaiba was bitten." The way the boy gasped almost made Bakura laugh. "Not in a way that changed him, but I think more in the way like the book. He exiled us, so to speak, because he didn't want to be used…and maybe he wanted to give you a chance to get away."

"But I've done nothing but cause him trouble."

"No, I'm the one who caused trouble. I brought you there, I endangered everyone, I am the reason that only a handful of people survived," he lifted a hand to stop the boy from interrupting, "I am not pitying myself, but I understand that in his mind, I'm at fault. And I suppose I am, to a degree. You are just an unfortunate bystander who just so happens to be the son of our attacker. Not to mention I think he has a soft spot for kids."

D scoffed at that, as children often do when something does not fit into their way of thinking. The boy had stopped crying however, which made Bakura feel better. He knew it took a lot to make him cry, and it broke his heart when the boy did. D said no more following that and the man continued rowing for an unknown amount of time, the only sound prevalent being the lapping of water and the distant surf. He did not stop, even when his arms tired, even when his own panic reached its peak; he just continued the strong, steady strokes. It was odd, the position they were in. Frightening. They seemed so small in that big expanse of water. He knew they were drifting, but he could not quite tell if it was in their favor or not.

"Aren't you sad, Bakura-sama?" D said after a while, his eyes firmly affixed to the vibrant orange that was the bottom of the "boat". "I mean, you'll probably never see them again, and they were your friends, right?"

"I'll be sad latter," Bakura replied, his voice strained with effort, "right now I'm more concerned about getting us safely on land, and then finding the place where we're going to sleep."

"I must have looked so foolish to you," D muttered, tugging at a lose thread on the hem of his jeans, "here we are in real danger, and I'm whining over the fact that no one likes me."

"You didn't look foolish, D-kun, far from it. I'm sorry that any of this had to happen to you, and you had every right to cry. I just felt that there was no reason for me to be sad at the moment, and I didn't want to make you feel bad just because I might."

"Oh," the boy said, looked over the man's shoulder, squinting, and added, "I think I see land."

"Really?" the young man asked, tiredly but not without some excitement, "What's it look like?"

D looked back at Bakura and then back to the land. He drummed his fingers against his lips and then smiled an almost unnoticeable smile. "Gray."

"Very funny," Bakura said, sounding annoyed, but giving away his actual feeling by laughing as he shook his head. The boy's inconspicuous smile brightened into a goofy grin, very unlike him, but very welcome.

"I can help you know," the boy offered, his mood lightened considerably.

"Help?" Bakura panted, "With what?"

"Rowing." D motioned to the man. "You look tired. I have more stamina than you do, and I could probably get us there faster."

"I couldn't ask you to—"

"Sorry to say, but with the rate you are going, we're going to be here all night."

"I…" Bakura paused, "Is it that late already?"

"I can't be sure, but I believe so."

Bakura sighed, lifting the oars from the water. "I'm not very good at this am I?" he asked, more to himself, and sighed again. D watched the man with a sympathetic gaze as he shook out his arms before handing the boy the oars. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'd feel better if I could help you," came the child's reply, and as he positioned himself he added, "What do you think we'll find when we get there?"

Rubbing his arms, Bakura looked in the direction where "land" was. "I have no clue," he answered honestly, "but something tells me that so long as we act normal, we won't be seen as a threat."

D nodded. Bakura smiled at him and then nearly fell out of the lifeboat when the boy began to row. He was never prepared for the boy's feats of strength, such a small thing exuding that much force seemed impossible to the man. Bakura straightened himself as quickly as he could so as not to tip them both into the icy water, and marveled at the speed that the boy performed. It was by no means as fast as a boat with a motor, but it was most definitely faster than what he had been able to manage. Covering his mouth so as not to laugh, he watched as D's expression went from concentrated, to almost bored.

"What's that green haze that's all the way over there?" D asked, nodding his head in the direction of the glowing scenery. It seemed further away than what Bakura remembered. "Do you think its radiation or something?"

"I hope not," Bakura replied, "But I can't think of anything else that would be doing that."

"We should stay very far away from it then."

"Agreed."

By the time they made it to where the white foam floated in and out of the surf D looked as if he were now exerting some force behind his strokes. He was taking deep breaths, and just a flush of pink tinged his cheeks. The both of them were freezing. The occupants of the boat regarded one another with small smiles. They bobbed around, being pushed to and fro as the tide pulled them further away from the greenish glow in the far distance. A mist had settled in as they had crossed the split of the oceanic and neritic divisions, and now, even though they had remained in the lifeboat, they were soaked. As D pulled the oars back into the boat, he began to shiver, his exertion being the only thing that had kept him warm. Bakura peered into the waters depths only to see a cloudy gray churn of sand swirl beneath them.

"Do you think it would be better if we just swam the rest of the way?" D asked, shivering harder.

"Without the food," Bakura said, "maybe. It doesn't make much difference considering we're already kind of wet."

"I guess."

"I can finish getting us there if you want."

D considered the oars for a moment and nodded his head. "Go for it," he said, "I just want to get out of the water."

"Are you okay?" Bakura asked; his head tilted to the side in confusion.

"Yeah."

Bakura gave D a look. D sighed and rolled his eyes, which made Bakura grin. It was more normal behavior from the child who did not always act like one.

"I didn't want to tell you this, but I've been nauseous ever since we got on that stupid ship. I'll be happy if we never have to do this again."

Bakura nodded and took the oars. Within a few moments, after spending about a month at sea, the pair was finally back on land. Bakura took two wobbly steps before tripping on his own feet and collapsing onto the wet sand. D fared little better. He managed to walk a few more paces before getting hit with a rather large wave that had come from the side. The boy toppled over, shocked, grabbing his pack as if to cover it from its already soaked fate. Bakura laughed, having been hit with the same wave, and crawled to the boy, who was shivering violently, more out of alarm than cold. Helping one another up, they zigzagged their way up the beach, their feet dragging through the sand, opening the dry bits underneath to the wet environment. When they reached the crest of a dune they turned to watch the lifeboat with its plastic oars be first pushed onto the sand and then away, floating back into the deeper expanse of water.

"Do you think we might have needed that?" D asked, holding onto Bakura for both warmth and comfort.

"I dunno," Bakura said, "but I doubt that we won't be able to find another one if we really need it."

D pressed his face into Bakura's side and took a deep breath. "Do you think there are people over here?"

Bakura looked around, and unable to see above the nearest cliff he shrugged. "I don't know D-kun."

"Do you think they'll know what I am?"

"Doubtful," the man replied, patting the boy on the shoulder, "It's probably an isolated incident, what your father's doing."

"At least for now."

"Yes, at least for now."

They spent an hour trying to find a way up from the beach, but the darkening sky and warning drops of rain made them rethink their position. Content with finding a small cave in the crack where two caves met, they kicked out as much of the oozing mud as they could, hoping that when the tide did come back in that the water would not somehow find its way up to them. After they settled in Bakura ate a few crackers and D allowed Bakura to feed him one syringe of blood (he absolutely refused to bite the man), leaving his left hand to munch on the earth surrounding them without much thought. As the rain began full force they lay there, their backpacks used as pillows, their clothes set aside in the farthest corner to dry, simply listening to the water as it either crashed with the surf or pitter-pattered against the earth above them. They were both filled with fear of what would happen tomorrow, but when D voiced his anxieties Bakura soothed them away with a calm voice and when asked why, he created an excitement he did not feel, telling the boy of what great adventures they could have. It allowed the boy to fall into dreams without worry, but the man remained awake for a long time after. He ruminated on their position, his fears, and D's fears. Was it safe? Were there people who would attack them? Where were they? He doubted anyone would speak Japanese. What would happen if D got sick? If he got sick?

D awoke at what his body dictated as three o'clock in the morning to a soft sobbing sound. For a moment, with the chill he experienced as the wind howled past the cave, he believed he was in the not-dream world, with that crying "darkness". It took not even a second for his eyes to adjust, however, and he saw Bakura at the entrance of the small cave, hunched over, hands pressed viciously against one another. His mouth was moving and his lips only stopped when he let out a muffled sob. He was praying. To who or what D did not know; the man had never mentioned what religion he practiced. The boy could not even tell what the man was saying; the angle was bad and the man was not actually speaking. D flinched involuntarily; he knew anything religious usually resulted in something painful in regards to him, and he did in fact feel a bit queasy. This queasiness was the only negative reaction though, which made D wonder yet again to who Bakura was praying to. He wanted to get up, to comfort the man, as it seemed he needed it, but the words that Bakura spoke aloud made the boy think twice.

"Please, please, please, don't let anyone hurt D-kun…Keep him safe. Help me keep him safe. I don't care what you do to me but let me keep him safe and happy…Help me be strong for him…"

D was silent as he rested his head once again on his backpack, knowing that if Bakura knew that he knew the man had been crying, it would only exacerbate the situation. He lay there in silence, listening to the man sob over his lost friends and family, and realized that recently, the man had not been as emotional as he had remembered. It seemed as if he had been bottling it up, but to what end? It only took him a moment to answer the question himself. Bakura was doing it all for him. He was being strong for him. Blocking out the reverberating, weeping pleas D made a mental vow to be just as strong for Bakura before he fell back into a deep slumber. That promise would not come so easily as later on that night his disturbed nightmares had him clinging to the man for reassurance. In time he would be strong enough, but for now he was still a child with many limitations, and Bakura was the one he could rely on.

The morning greeted the two companions with a deep fog and the smell of salt and soaking vegetation. Their clothes were not much dryer than when they had first come to shore, but eager to be off of the beach and onto more solid land left them little choice but to once again clothe themselves in their semi-damp and stiff attire. Bakura chewed on dehydrated ramen noodles as they made their way along the beach, once again looking for some sign of a way up. The fog made it difficult to see very far, and the lack of people left the two feeling very uncomfortable. It was eerie; the only sound aside from their footsteps was the cry of seagulls in the distance. On more than one occasion they nearly tumbled into a newly formed riverbed in the sand, and would have to make their way around to the mouth and hurry across before a wave made its invisible trek up the beach and hit the two with an icy barrage of water.

It was when the fog finally began to dissipate that they found what they had been looking for. A set of concrete steps built into the side of a half cliff, half sand dune formation provided them a way up, and they gladly climbed the solid steps, their excitement almost tangible. Wherever they had landed most surely had to have some people. With steps such as those, the beach must have at one point been frequented by thousands of people. When they reached the parking lot, they celebrated. They celebrated for finding the way up, they celebrated for being alive. Bakura checked the exterior shower to see if it was still functional and let out a whoop when he pressed the button and ice cold water came bursting forth. Seeing as no people seemed to reside near this particular area any longer, he stripped down and took a much needed shower, unable to care that the water was freezing. D was less excited about the prospect, but his preference for cleanliness defeated his distaste for discomfort and he followed suit, immediately regretting the decision. They washed and found new warmth in their clothing when they redressed themselves. Bakura made a mental note to find a store where there was still clothing, they would need something more than the soaking fabric soon enough. Especially the young boy who, although seemed just as ecstatic as he, was carrying himself in a somewhat sluggish way, his normally flushed lips a dead white, promising the dangerous blue of hypothermia.

After taking care of more personal necessities, they walked through the parking lot, past the empty toll booth (too preoccupied to notice the destroyed sign below the window), admiring the empty houses that still stood after the promised devastation. This place seemed almost untouched, save for the faint green glow in the far distance that was now obstructed by trees as they made their way down a road that had yet proclaimed its name. It was when they reached the stop sign that either of them had an inkling to where they were.

"Stop…" Bakura said, studying the red octagon with some interest. "This is English."

"Yes, it is," D mused, "Considering what direction we were going, it only makes sense that we would probably arrive somewhere in the United States. I mean," he paused, "I doubt we're in Canada or anything."

"Hm…" Bakura said thoughtfully, "I don't think I've ever been to the United States before."

"Neither have I."

Bakura looked down the road that lead to the right of what looked like a small highway and noted the buildings that stood in the distance. This was in their favor; it would take them further away from both the beach and the green glow. However this was not at the forefront of his mind, his main concern was if the people were hospitable or not. He no longer had his rifle; this had been the one thing they had indirectly denied him before shoving the pair onto the now long gone lifeboat. He almost hoped for a weapons shop, but if guns were available to him, they were also available to those who were native.

Bakura made as if to walk on the right side of the road, but D pulled him back with enough force that the man turned to look at him, a quizzical look upon his face. "I remember reading once in one of my Father's books that it's better to walk on the incoming traffic side, that way you can see what's coming."

"That's what I was doing."

D shook his head, a small smile on his face. "They drive on the right side of the road.

If by any chance there are cars, if we walk on this side they'll have ample chance to hit us."

Bakura blinked. "Oh," he said, "that's right." D was amused further by the man's slow shaking of his head, as if the idea was inconceivable. His pleasant feeling plummeted when another thought hit him, however. It was not a particularly formed thought, but it encompassed everything and nothing all at once.

"Now what?"

Bakura looked down at him and grinned. "Now we live."

D frowned. "Well that doesn't explain anything. Where are we going? What's going to happen to us?"

"First we're going to get you out of those wet clothes, and then," Bakura breathed deeply, taking in the cool air and feeling more alive than ever, letting the feeling sink in and feeling oddly happier for it, "we'll do whatever we want."

D's mouth hung agape. This did not seem like the man who had been sobbing in that dismal cave. "Aren't you afraid at all?"

"Oh, yes, absolutely terrified."

D was now the one shaking his head. "You are absolutely weird is what you are."

Bakura laughed. "No, I'd say driving in the right lane is still far more bizarre."

When the young man began to make his way across the street D followed with a bemused grin across his lips. He had to hand it to Bakura; even with whatever trials the man was suffering, he certainly knew how to distract the boy from his own. Allowing himself to forget his trepidation, he finally noted the sweet smell of the surrounding flora, the greenery left untouched by the destruction that had destroyed the land he had once lived in, and reveled in it. Maybe not knowing what was going to happen would be a good thing. Maybe he could…live for himself.

Maybe; but maybes were not certainties, and perhaps what faced the two in their near future was a horror far greater than what they had escaped.


	20. After the First Crossing

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Vampire Hunter D. I also do not own the song "Jingle, Jangle, Jingle". It was originally written by Joseph J. Lilley and Frank Loesser, and it is an awesome song in any version.

Also, I again apologize that this took so long to upload. Unfortunately I have not heard from Aldedron lately, and have been rather busy with other papers and whatnot. I give this to you all hoping it remains an interest to you, and if you see any issues and would like to become a "backup" beta reader just in case I don't get into contact with her again, let me know okay? Love to have someone fix my silly mistakes and make this story better :D

Chapter Nineteen: After The First Crossing

The pavement they meandered across was damp from the dissipated fog; smaller boughs on the trees bent as a gentle breeze passed through them. At the present, the city that lay before them was filled with muted color under the gray sky. They were shivering, but the cold now came mostly from their drying clothes. The temperature had become mild, the wind keeping it so. They had passed by many houses, and while they did not vocalize their feelings, they did not need to. It was disquieting; not one person had emerged from any of the houses. The quiet that they had been surrounded with following their ascent into developed land trailed them as they made their way further into the city.

The boy, although apprehensive, viewed everything with a kind of awe. Before going with Bakura to Domino, he only had fleeting memories of being allowed outside to play. They had been that few and far between, further when he had collapsed from Heat Syndrome, and never in a suburban area. He had marveled at the wreckage of Domino City, at least after getting used to the unusually grimy appearance of those who lived there, but this was different. It was untouched somehow. D wondered to himself if it was possible that they could live there. Was it really that bad if no one lived there? The child could think of a few reasons, good reasons, but none of them outweighed the naïve relief he would feel about never again having to reveal what he was. Bakura was the only company he wanted.

They passed by a sort of shopping center, completely devoid of life once again. There was a familiar fast food chain, McDonalds, and on the other side of all the shops was a Burger King. Thinking that there might be food in either one, still edible for all of the preservatives left for people who were not there, Bakura was torn between amusement and depression, his face contorting into a semi-pained grimace which alarmed D.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice seeming unusually loud in the silence.

The man nodded. "Just thinking stupid thoughts," he said, crossing his arms.

"Well, don't do that," D chided, "you worried me."

Bakura looked down at the boy, and the child's expression made him smile. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "I'll try not to. My mind just likes to run off with me sometimes. Either way, I don't see a clothing store anywhere, do you?"

D shook his head. "No, but maybe if we go down Main Street or something we'll find something."

"Seems like a logical choice," Bakura agreed, "I didn't see a main street tho—"

D pointed behind them to the strip of road that led past a gas station. "Just an educated guess but I think that the road that says Main Street just might be the road that is the main street."

Bakura gave D a look that made the boy laugh in spite of the serious look he was trying to relay back. The man could not help but laugh in turn as the child's half grave, half mirthful face was amusing. They were still laughing as they made their way down the deserted Main Street, past the stores that had no use to their immediate predicament. By the time the sun had finally peaked out from behind the clouds it was afternoon. Their clothes were dry but stiff from the salty water, and they had still not found what they had been looking for. Bakura squinted at some of the signs as if that would divulge more information from them as D sat sulking atop the hood of a now useless car.

"Not so fun now is it?" his parasitic hand mocked, and D had a sudden urge to break the windshield of the car he sat on and impale his hand upon a broken shard. His hand sensing the child's further displeasure snorted laughter, but was silenced when the boy raised his hand to do as he had thought. "You're as bad as he is…" it sulked.

"That's fine by me," the boy grumbled.

"Well it's not for me," it grumped right along with him, "He's self-destructive."

"How do you figure?" D said rolling his eyes but was startled out of the conversation by a pathetic groan. The boy turned to see Bakura slap his forehead and curse himself. "What?!" the boy exclaimed with worry, "What's wrong."

"What's wrong is that we've been walking past clothes the entire time!" the young man spat, but his distemper was not aimed at the child, "These houses are empty!"

D blinked, momentarily pulled from his poor mind-set. "Is that all?"

Bakura threw his arms in the air. "Is that all?!" he snapped, "I've been dragging you every which way, practically freezing you when we could have gone into one of the houses and fixed the problem immediately. I'm an idiot!"

At that moment D felt foolish for having been in such a bad mood. Apparently Bakura had noticed, and not only had it traveled to the man, but had become three times worse. He was livid. "It's not that bad, really…" D said, trying to calm him, "I mean, at least we know what's around here, right? And you're not an idiot."

Bakura snorted, turning away. At first D thought he _was_ mad at him, but upon catching a glimpse of the man's face reflected on the store window, he realized he was embarrassed. Here he was trying to be everything D needed, and still he was coming up short. Well, in Bakura's mind at least. D admired the man's resilience; if he was feeling somewhat drained, the man most certainly was exhausted. By no means was he coming up short.

After some time of silence where Bakura stared down at the pavement and D looked around uncomfortably, the man finally looked up at the sky that was now darkening and spoke. "So much for today," he sighed.

"We have all the time in the world," D replied, sliding off of the car's hood and taking Bakura's hand. "It's not like anyone's waiting on us."

The young man looked at the boy and crouched down to his level. It was more of a semi-crouch as the child was a bit taller than those his age, but it still left an impression on the boy as Bakura brought their foreheads together. He was smiling again. "You're right. And what will we do?"

D looked at him bewilderedly. "I don't know," he said, shrugging, "Anything we want?"

"Precisely."

It was then that D understood what the man had meant earlier that morning. Why at such an odd time he would never know, but it made him smile, which seemed to pull Bakura out of whatever bad mood he was in. D marveled on how their emotions played on one another and he wondered if that was how it was supposed to be when you were with family.

That thought made him want to cry; when Bakura hugged him, he nearly did.

They returned to wandering the town, both in better spirits. Another quarter of a mile down, they came to an antique store. Both looked into the shop with great interest. There were plenty of interesting things, but what caught Bakura's eye was a well worn leather bag, large enough to carry what they would need instead of lugging around the backpacks that they were carrying along. What caught D's eye was an old record player, one that looked like it didn't need to be plugged into anything to work. The door was locked, but with a few good tugs from the pair, the lock gave way and the musty smell old items left to sit hit their noses. The sky was darkening slowly, but they still had just enough light for Bakura to find a few candles and matches in the register area. He offered one to D who took it with a delicate gesture that made Bakura tilt his head, wondering where he would have learned to take something in such a way. The boy did not seem to notice, but wandered off into the mass of aged items.

"Be careful," Bakura called after him, knowing he should not be worried, but being so anyway.

"I will," D replied, paused and then added, "This place is neat!"

"It is," Bakura agreed. Making his way to the bag he had seen from the window, he lifted the flap of the leather and carefully put the candle before it for light. It closed with a drawstring made of leather. He noted it looked worn on the outside, but inside it seemed to be in good condition. The man very much doubted the outer worn surface had come from any use, but at any rate he placed it upon the ground and began to empty his larger, slightly heavier bag. Looking at what he had, he put the food aside, noting that he had not eaten much that day, and sorted through the other items he carried. They had searched his bag before they had sent them overboard, and had taken the knife from him, but none of the pots or other utensils. He studied them and surmised that he would only need one, as he would only really be cooking for one. He took the medium pot and set the rest aside. They would keep the sleeping bags, but he could sling them over his shoulder if he really needed to. He checked the large flashlight to see if it functioned, is intuition telling him it would not be so, and it made sense. Why else would he have gone for the candles first? He clicked the button, and waited for light. It never came. He nodded, it seemed the water had gotten into it somehow, and noted to himself to pay more attention to his gut feelings. He packed what he felt was necessary and it fit perfectly into the bag. Bakura slung it over his shoulder and smiled. It was lighter as well. Looking back at the register he took the rest of the emergency candles and matches, and sighed. The smell of the place was not unpleasant, and Bakura noticed that the sky was darkening not just due to the sun's decline, but for the clouds that had reappeared. He didn't think it would rain, but it seemed like it would be a good idea to rest there for the night before deciding what to explore tomorrow.

He let out a yelp when there was a loud scratching noise that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, and his hand lay over his heart when a song he had never heard before began.

"_Yippie yayyy, there'll be no wedding bells for todaaayy…_"

The beat was bright, but being a little rusty with his English, he caught every other word at first. As the music carried on his heartbeat began to slow, and he wondered who had started the music; all of the electricity would logically be down so where was it coming from? "D-kun?" he called, clutching at the leather strap of his new bag, "D-kun? Where are you?"

"Over here!" came a gleeful reply. It seemed to be coming from where the music was playing, or where Bakura thought it was coming from. The boy seemed to be happy, which made the young man less apprehensive. He was probably the one who started the song.

"_I got spurs that jingle, jangle, jingle…_"

He made his way over to the boy who was looking at a pile of records. His candle was carefully perched by the record player, emitting a warm glow that showed the small, contented smile that graced the boy's countenance. It raised Bakura's spirits to see him so at ease.

"They have Billie Holiday, I like her music, and some classical music and stuff, and Frank Sinatra, and Journey, and…" the boy chattered on, listing off more names that the young man recognized (more than he would have imagined at any rate), and Bakura found a spot on the floor to sit, listening to D as he went on about those he liked and disliked, a gentle smile playing on the man's lips. The boy's interest in music was a new topic for him. They had not really spoken of it, but he supposed that since the boy had not been allowed to do much in his previous life, that he must have taken interest to something and that something seemed to be music.

"Have you heard of any of them?" D asked, still sorting through the haphazard piles.

"Some," Bakura said, "My father once had a record player…" Pausing, he wondered where his father was, if he was even alive. D seemed to pick up on the changing mood, and looked down, apologies forming in his mind, but Bakura changed the topic, and the bad atmosphere dissipated. "I've never heard of this song though, who sings it?"

"This rendition is by Kay Kyser and his Orchestra, or Band, depending on who you're talking to," D replied, inwardly relieved.

"Kay Kysah?" Bakura asked, his accent prevalent to himself as well as the boy, who at the moment was covering his mouth and trying not to laugh. He rolled his eyes and added, "Maybe I should try to speak more English, so I can get the hang of it. I feel like I sound ridiculous."

"You don't sound ridiculous," D sniggered, "I like it, but it is funny to hear you say it."

"Funny thing is, I did well in English at school," Bakura mused, "I guess it really has been a while since then, though." The candle flickered and his eyes were drawn to a glimmer across from where they were sitting. He squinted and what he saw made him slap himself across the forehead.

"What?!" D cried in alarm which set Bakura into a fit of laughter, which confused the boy, which set the man off further. "What?!" He repeated with irritation.

"I…I'm sorry, you just have a tendency to say that a lot, and…and…" Bakura gasped for air and snorted instead which made him laugh harder.

"And, what?" D said, unable to find the humor.

"Clothes!" The man sniggered, "There are clothes right there! We gave up looking for them and there they are!" He fell into another fit of laughter and D could think of nothing to do but shake his head. Sometimes what Bakura found funny was lost on him. Adjusting his candle to make sure that it would not fall, he left it beside the record player as he made his way to where Bakura had mentioned there were clothes. He could have saved Bakura the effort of even giving him the candle, but he had felt just a little more normal, a little more human when Bakura had lit one for him.

Bakura's laughter died away as a small gust of wind parted the door from its frame sending nearby magazines into a fluttering frenzy of pages and his body into shivers. He had completely forgotten how cold he had been, and as he went to shut the door of the antique/thrift store, he wondered how cold D felt. He could hear the boy muttering something either to himself or his hand as he shoved a nearby chair under the handle, creating a substitute for the broken deadbolt and latch bolt. With a quick glance into the crack between the door and its frame, he was in shock to see how completely broken it really was. Shaking his head, making his way to the boy, he wondered just how strong the boy would become. Certainly it could not have been he who had the strength to do such a thing. Never mind that they had been pulling at it with the same amount of force.

Reaching the aisle where D had once again disappeared to, Bakura noted two things. One was that nothing was in style, but that was obvious, to be expected, not to mention irrelevant. The next was that D had managed to find something to change into, but what he wore made Bakura cover his mouth to stifle a giggle. His choice was all at once unprejudiced, adorable, yet oddly coordinated. He wore a black turtleneck similar to the one that he had recently cast aside, but it hung upon his neck in such a way that made it obvious that it did not fit. It was neatly tucked into his grey jeans, which seemed to be the only thing specifically child sized, that were held up by a black belt. On his feet he wore black boots with a very low heel, yet they had an oddly feminine look, and Bakura was sure that where they were supposed to end mid-calf, they probably reached to just below the knee for the boy. He could not tell because they ran under the jeans. None of this however topped what the boy wore over it all. A woman's pea coat (of this he was positive), which he was sure was used to both cover the ill fitting top and give him warmth, was the boy's choice, synched at the waist of the coat yet more at the hip for him, just enough to give it a slight flare behind him. Of course, it was also black.

With his fingers still pressed over his mouth he asked, "Are you comfortable?"

D looked down dubiously at his attire, shrugged, and replied, "The shirt's a little baggy, but otherwise everything else is fine." He paused, looked up at Bakura and added, "You don't like it?" while seeming both hurt and nonchalant.

Bakura chuckled. "It's fine, especially if it's comfortable. But if you strapped on some fake guns and added a black hat, you'd look almost like you were dressing up to play the bad-guy cowboy."

D raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms. "Funny. Would you rather I have gone with these jeans, the 'I like Burgers!' shirt, the scuffed up sneakers, and the lime-green windbreaker? They were in my size."

Unable to stop himself from sniggering, Bakura shook his head. "I said you were fine, D-kun," he said, grinning, "You look good." The boy frowned, and the man raised his hands as if surrendering, "You do! You look very well put together, almost formal, with a practical air. I was just joking."

D rolled his eyes. "It doesn't really matter anyway," he stated, "I'm just glad I don't smell so much like fish anymore. And I guess almost dressing like a cowboy is pretty neat." He looked down at his clothing again, and smiled a little. "But isn't it a duster jacket I should be wearing?"

"What you're wearing is long enough, no reason to get too picky," Bakura playfully chided, now holding his candle in front of the clothing rack to get a better look at his options.

"Me, picky?" the boy snorted, "I would have worn that windbreaker, I just don't particularly like the color lime-green."

"Can't say that I blame you…"

Bakura did not spend much time looking for clothes, but chose jeans, a t-shirt, and a long sleeved shirt that he wore under the t-shirt, more for convenience than style. There had been an old leather jacket behind an array of jean jackets and coats that made a person wonder what the designer had been thinking, and Bakura had taken it without much thought. It was warm and would last longer than his other choices. That night they slept more comfortably, using the clothes that they did not choose as a makeshift bed, finding a choice number of sheets for blankets. After blowing out the candles and turning off the record player which had most recently been playing "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple (a song D seemed to like, but which left Bakura with foreboding thoughts) the young man watched as the child fell asleep, the boy's hand unconsciously gripping the fabric that was Bakura's shirt. Lifting his own hand, he gently brushed a bit of hair out of the boy's face. He felt a great swell of love for the boy as the child shifted and scooted closer to him. It was a pity that D was almost out of that stage of life and he had only just found its comforts. Bakura sighed, knowing full well that it was more beneficial that D functioned the way he did; his maturity enabled him to handle the drastic changes that they would face. Whether this was fair or not was irrelevant.

Resting his head against a makeshift pillow, Bakura refused to let his emotions slip back into despair. Before, even in the midst of everything going wrong, he had promised himself to be a person that the boy could have for support, and thus far had allowed his emotions to still get the better of him. It was unforgivable; he did not have a choice, he had to be the one who could control himself. The boy would not suffer for his incompetence. Letting out one final frustrated sigh, the man closed his eyes, and tried not to dream of better times that night. He did not want to dream of the past, but of the future.

The morning greeted them with its gray chill, the gentle breeze smelling of the sea. Unlike the first morning, they were quite comfortable in their new/old clothes, and as Bakura ate his sparing breakfast, he felt better prepared for the day. D listened to one more record before conceding that it was time to leave, wondering aloud if they would hear music any time soon. As they waved goodbye to the empty store with their new apparel and bags (Bakura had found a smaller backpack for D that would hold whatever items he wanted to keep), both felt in such better spirits that even the parasitic left hand had nothing to say that would change their minds.

They had a grand first half of a day. They found a store with the necessary items to brush their teeth (which seemed like a treat), took some drinking water (using some to have a tepid bath with soap) and canned food from the grocery store, and made a little map of places where they had been for a better sense of direction. As noon time rolled around they sat together in the truck bed of another useless vehicle, reading books that they had picked up along the way. It was when D was dozing, his book still half opened in his hand, and Bakura could feel himself slipping into a light sleep that the trouble began.

His eyes were half closed, blankly staring at the pages while his mind contemplated the idea of a brief nap when his ears picked up the oddest noise. It was definitely not one he had been expecting. Eyes snapping open, he cocked his head, listening intently. D stirred, and glanced up at Bakura with confusion. Before he spoke, Bakura put a finger to his lips and motioned for the boy to listen. The child did and his eyes widened.

"Is that a horse?" He asked and before Bakura could protest, the boy sat up abruptly, facing the way of the sound. Bakura did likewise, more to pull D down to safety if need be, and his face gave away his shock. It was a horse and someone was riding it. Not riding it hard; even though he was not used to the equine breed Bakura could tell that the person cared greatly for it. D watched with interest as the person rode closer, but for once Bakura noticed something the boy did not. He did not blame him for not noticing, he doubted if the child would have seen it from his angle, but a gun was looped around the left side of the saddle, made for easy reaching. Bakura tensed, knowing full well that he had no weapons available. D looked up at Bakura with a hesitant smile that dropped as soon as he saw the man's face.

"What?" D asked, worry spreading across his face.

"Don't move!" The man riding the horse yelled, more or less answering D's question.

The pair froze, neither of their faces showing fear exactly, but both knowing it was there. They sensed the apprehension between them. The man regarded them, face scrunching in deep thought and his own tension, making the lines in his face more prominent. Bakura assumed that the man was in his mid forties; what hair that was not hidden by the cowboy hat was a deep brown mixed with white and gray around the edges. Between his thin lips was a half smoked cigarette that bobbed as his mouth worked while he studied the two. "Strangers," he said, pulling the cigarette from his mouth as he acknowledged them, "I want your names and where you come from."

Bakura had no idea how to answer without sounding suspicious. His accent would be a dead giveaway that he was not a native, but the thought of sailing across the ocean during these times seemed unlikely. He would have attempted to pass off that they came from somewhere in the U.S. but he did not know much about the surrounding area. So he simply spoke the truth, hoping that the man would understand. "My name is…" he paused; anxious he would make some mistake, "Ryou Bakura. This is D. We—"

"Hang on a second," the man snapped, removing the cigarette from his mouth to tap away the ashes, "you expect me to believe this kid's name is D?"

"It is," Bakura replied before D could respond. The child was grateful for the young man's calm demeanor and remained silent. "It is a little difficult to explain."

"Well, start explaining," The man snorted, "I've got all the time in the world."

Inwardly, a battle between Bakura's fear and anger raged. Fear for D's life that was at stake, and anger for this man's arrogant nature and the fact he was so afraid. He was tired of being terrified when the child who sat beside him needed his strength. So outwardly he remained composed. "His father was an…eccentric…man."

"You aren't related?" Bakura felt the man's incredulous stare just as much as he saw it.

"No, yes, somewhat…"

"Which is it?"

"I am his…"

"Adoptive parent," D replied, startling the two adults. The boy, while proud of Bakura's attempt, knew that he was too unpracticed in the English language to keep his mind clear for long. Not to mention, he doubted that Bakura knew just what to call him. The tears that welled in the corner of his friend's eyes provided the knowledge that D had not been too presumptuous. Yet they were blinked away quickly, to keep the façade of a calmer image.

"Is that so?"

"Yes," D replied, and was surprised at how quickly he was able to add the lie Bakura could not, "My father died a few years ago. I would have as well, if it hadn't been for Bakura-sama."

"Bakura-sama?"

"He's Japanese. He was a friend of my father, who came to visit just before the bombs hit."

The man eyed them both again, still suspicious. "How old are you?" he asked Bakura. He responded as he placed a gentle hand on D's shoulder. The boy could not tell who he was trying to comfort. Again, the man seemed to disbelieve.

"If that's the case, you were nineteen when all of this happened. How exactly did you know his father?"

This time D was unable to assist him. Not only was the man directing his full attention at how Bakura would react, but the boy could think of no response that would sound realistic. What came out of Bakura's mouth was something D would have never thought of, but fit so well that there was no need for worry.

"When I was sixteen there was a card game tournament in the city I lived in. It was called Battle City," the young man began, speaking with great care. The man looked at him curiously, but he nodded, as if he recognized the event, motioning for him to go on, "It was well publicized, and people from all over were coming to either compete, or watch the tournament first hand. His father had come to watch. I was late to sign up, so I was out late, searching for opponents." Bakura's eyes brightened, as if remembering something fondly. D found it curious, as he had been told by his friend that he could not remember much of the day due to an injury he had obtained. It had been his other half running around when he should not have. Either the man was getting better at lying, or there was something wrong. "I was ambushed by this group of so called gamers who preferred to steal rather than duel their way into getting the locator cards necessary to get into the finals. His father was there by some strange chance and watched as I beat them at their own game. I noticed him after I found out the location I needed to go to, and asked him for a ride. He agreed, and we talked on the way there."

"You got into the car with a complete stranger?"

Bakura tilted his head, trying to translate a good response in his mind. "Yes, it sounds dangerous, but considering it was getting late, and there was no taxi nearby, I took the chance. It worked out. He was impressed, and I was interested in the travels he told me about. My father was an archaeologist, so I get really interested in these things. We became friends and wrote letters after that. He knew I liked traveling, so he invited me here. I met D, and after his father died I promised I would take care of him."

The horse stomped and nickered, twitching its tail. The man brushed his fingers through its mane as he sat silent in the saddle, his face pensive. D looked between him and Bakura, wondering if the story seemed believable enough, if it even mattered, and just how true Bakura's story was; for although he knew Bakura had not met his father before that fateful day in the hallway of their "safe-house"; something about the mentioned encounter seemed more akin to the truth than intended.

Finally the man spoke. "So you've just been wandering?"

"Yes," Bakura replied, "Why stay where memories can only cause pain? Or where there are people who only want to cause you pain? I do not know much about this country, and I wanted to show D what we could see, before death takes either of us."

Again the man was silent, but only for a short time. He glanced down at D and uttered his last question for them. "Where'd you live?"

"Los Angeles," the boy responded. Given time to create a story in his mind to match Bakura's, he felt that city (which he had only read about) would suffice. "It was getting too dangerous, so we left."

The man snorted. "I don't doubt that." Bakura and D felt utter relief as the man seemed to relax, flicking the butt of his cigarette on the concrete as he lit another to replace it. "Forgive me. It's difficult to trust people these days, 'specially two people you've never seen before in your life, regardless if one's a kid or not."

"I do not blame you," Bakura said, a tentative smile on his lips, "I was thinking the same thing when you rode up."

"Well, I'm still sorry about it," the man stated, sliding off of the saddle, keeping the reins in his left hand as he held out his right, "The name's Matthew Ellis. Call me Matt. Never played that game you were talking about, but I know what it is. My son's friend played it, was trying to get him into it, if I remember right."

"It is nice to meet you…Matt," Bakura said, taking the man's hand and shaking it, unable to resist bowing slightly as he did so. Old habits would die hard. D also shook the man's hand and said his piece.

"Great," Matt said, his face becoming more pleasant as he smiled. "I'm going to do you a favor and introduce you to my family. Then at next week's meeting we'll introduce you to what's left of the city. If you're going to be around here, the people ought to know you, so they don't think your some thief or murderer roaming around."

"There are people in this town still?" Bakura asked, shocked.

The man chuckled. "Yes, not a whole lot, though. Most left when they heard bombs were dropping on San Francisco. Thought it was too close for comfort and got the hell out. My family didn't budge though, and neither did a number of other families. Some called us stupid, but I'd rather die at home than anywhere else."

"I see," Bakura said, climbing out of the back of the truck. He offered a hand to D who took it and helped him out so both stood on the concrete in front of the man that had seemed frightening only moments ago. "We would love to meet them."

"Good to hear. Now I warn you, the town's reception should be fine, but you might get a little flack for not being native."

"Flack?"

"They might give us a little bit of a problem," D whispered to Bakura, who nodded.

"I hope we will not be too much trouble for you," he said, "Have there been many problems?"

"The wildlife is coming back full force, but that's not much of a problem. Our issue is that people are starting to go missing. One or two a year, we'd all understand and cut our losses, as awful as that sounds. But like I said before, we aren't a big city anymore. Hardly five hundred now a days. We aren't losing two or three a year, but two or three a month. If this keeps up, we'll have to leave, but where would we go? This is where our homes are, our lives."

"That is awful!" Bakura exclaimed, "They're just disappearing?"

"Yeah, and none of us have a clue where to. We were going to talk more about it come next meeting."

"Maybe we could help?" Bakura said before his mind caught up with what he was saying. D squeezed his hand in warning, but it was too late. The offer was there.

"Well, I can't see it hurting much. A new perspective on it might be a good thing." The man frowned, and then nodded. "Of course, this has to be decided at the meeting. I can't promise you anything except for a spot in my house for now. But if I do that, I expect you to help with chores and other things of that nature."

"That is fine," Bakura replied, happy enough that they had a place to stay and that the people there would not try to kill them immediately.

"Oh, I should mention, I live on a ranch. How good are you with horses?"

"What—?"


	21. A Regular Western

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Vampire Hunter D.

I do not know how many times I can apologize for untimeliness with these chapters. I just hope you all are still enjoying the journey, because I still am.

Thank you for the reviews! And just an fyi still looking for another beta-reader inclined to such a story.

And a heads up...don't get too comfortable...

Chapter Twenty: A Regular Western

The ranch was an adobe marker of a civilization that now lay in ruin. It was a gorgeous expanse of a building; its red tiled roof fire in a sunset sky. Some walls were cracked with age, but otherwise it was in good condition. Inside one could house a family of eight comfortably. It was obvious that those who lived there had been of well means, and it was a comfortable stay for any weary traveler that could be trusted. There were eight horses roaming in the corral out back; there had been more, but with minimal contact with those that could provide food for the horses, there had been a hard decision, and a few casualties.

Matthew Ellis was the owner of this establishment, and along with his wife Sophie, their eighteen year old daughter Elizabeth and eleven year old son Andrew, kept the ranch running as if it had remained untouched by the devastation. With the addition of Bakura and D, instead of the hardship that many in the community had thought would fall upon the family, they found helping hands and a willingness to learn. It had not been a seamless transition, but the two outsiders had not expected others to take kindly to them at any rate. What was important was that most of the population that remained after the unannounced war seemed to enjoy their presence, and if not enjoy, tolerate. There were only a few still wary of their company, and Bakura was more than used to dealing with people such as Mr. Johnson, the man who brought around everyone's mail.

"Do…You…Understand?" the man said, his voice raised, as if Bakura were deaf, "You…Do…Not…Open…This…It…Belongs…To—"

"Yes," Bakura replied, forcing a smile on his face as he tried to pronounce every word just right, "I am as well aware of the fact that this is Mr. Ellis' package. I was just asking if you knew if Mrs. Rosales remembered to put the –"

"Just because I bring around the stuff you all're too lazy to walk over yourselves doesn't mean I'm a goddamn messenger." With that the man spun around and ambled off of the porch into the gray light that was morning. Bakura watched him leave, his lips pursed in disapproval. The man had chosen the job for himself, they had been told the night that they arrived, when they had met the nearby townsfolk that had heard about their arrival and were curious about the outsiders. Everyone had chosen a duty that most suited them that would benefit the community as a whole. Unlike the way the city had been in Domino, it was only delegated if a person had not responded quickly enough. Bakura felt that Mr. Johnson had been lucky in that aspect. What was so bad about walking around a city that you knew to deliver something for someone who could not walk very far to someone whose family was too busy to pick it up? It was not like he was getting a grenade thrown at his face.

"Inconsiderate asshole," he muttered under his breath as he closed the door.

"Oh! What does that mean?" Elizabeth asked, making Bakura jump. He held the package close to his body as his heart beat wildly. It seemed like he was becoming more paranoid as the days went by.

Smiling at the girl, he shook his head. He remembered that she had been the most excited to meet the pair when they had first arrived, and had noted that she had seemed particularly interested in him. She especially seemed to like the fact that he interchanged languages frequently when he believed no one aside from D was in earshot. "Nothing really," he said as she looked at him dubiously. "You scared me."

She smiled at that. "It's a gift."

"Being so ugly?" Andrew said as he passed by the hall. She glared at him and then turned back to Bakura with nervous laughter.

"He's such a moron, you know?"

He smiled politely but did not respond. He looked down at the package and then back at her. "After I give this to your father, is there anything that you need me to do?" She smiled lewdly, and for quite some time he could not figure out why. When he did not respond in kind she laughed again.

"You're cute. Yeah, there is something. Take a break!" she smiled brightly at him as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "You work too hard."

Bakura shrugged, "Your father allowed us to stay here for a time; I want to be as helpful as I can."

"He's going to work you to the bone if you don't stop being so helpful!" she exclaimed, shaking her finger at him.

"He's not that bad." Bakura readjusted his grip and began walking to the stalls where he knew Matt was. "By the way, do you know if D is well?"

"Oh, him?" Elizabeth replied, looking at her nails. She liked the boy's company as well, but he was close to her brother's age and therefore not to be trusted. Bakura found that amusing. "He was supposed to be helping Andy with fixing the fence by where the trees start. That reminds me…ANDY!" She hollered, startling Bakura again.

"WHAT?!" was the response.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?!" She yelled, invoking her right as eldest to reprimand him.

"What?" Andrew poked his head from out of his room, his face displaying his annoyance.

"I said what are you doing in here? Aren't you supposed to be working on the fences like dad said? You know it's important that those get fixed! Suzy almost made a break for it the other day."

"Yeah, well that's 'cause she's your horse and she hates you."

"She does not, and that's not the point."

Andrew snorted. "Anyway, I'm in here because we're done. Can I read now?" He asked, waving his comic book above his head. Elizabeth scowled, and Bakura could not help wondering if he and Amane had ever been this antagonistic to one another.

"Liar," she snapped, "Dad figured you guys wouldn't be done until tomorrow. If you did crappy work, you know you're going to get grounded."

"It's not crappy! It looks just like he showed us. Not my fault if that kid moves like The Flash," he muttered as he slammed his door, showing that he felt the discussion was over. Elizabeth looked as if she was about to kick said door down, and if Bakura had not been there, she may have. What she did do was make her way outside to see if what her brother said was true, Bakura not far behind her.

In the time that had been allotted the two boys, the beginning of last night with instructions and an early start in the morning, Bakura and Elizabeth should have found a mess of wood and nails, and an incomplete structure. What they found was a well put together fence and D performing cartwheels as the family dog chased after him. When D saw Bakura he froze in a perfect handstand, smiling sheepishly…at least until the dog bowled him over.

For a moment Bakura was filled with shock, but when D righted himself and began brushing dried grass out of his hair he could not refrain from laughing. He looked like he was doing well, even after spending most of the afternoon in the sun with his pea coat on (but the young man supposed that heat was of no issue to D, it was the sun he wanted to hide his skin from). The boy looked up at him with feigned irritation before taking the hand that Bakura offered.

"How did…?" Elizabeth asked in wonder as she checked over the fence. "You guy's actually finished it?"

D gave Bakura a quick look that said both I-did-most-of-it and it-was-easy-to-learn before replying. "Yes. The hardest part was making sure the board was straight, but it is done. Does it look right?"

"It looks like we hired a professional is what it looks like…" she eyed the pair as if she would see something that would explain this anomaly. "You guys are really hard workers, aren't you?"

Bakura nodded. "Before we…decided…to leave ," he began, happy for once that he was not as adept in English as D because it allowed for a pause as he tried to figure the right way to present himself, "we did some miscellaneous work for others. We just need to be told what to do and we will do it."

"Uh huh." Elizabeth went to the fence and gave it a little shake to check the handiwork. "Well then, my dad got lucky when he found you, didn't he?"

Bakura shrugged, glancing at D as the boy pried dirt out from under his fingernails and already off in his own thoughts. "I suppose."

She was still giving him that curious look when she asked, "Are you going to go with the Deputy tonight and keep watch?"

One of the first things that the community committee (who still retained the name City Council) had been going over on the day that Matt had introduced them was the problem of the missing persons. They had already attempted a watch of sorts about a year ago when the problem began. Nothing had been found and yet the people continued to disappear, so they stopped. That had been when they had an ample supply of batteries for large flashlights and just as many community members interested in getting some glory for finding the source of the vanishings. However, the newcomers soon realized that most search parties had stuck to the main roads, and none so much as thought that whatever it could have been possibly came from the vicinity of the sea. When Bakura questioned the acting council about these two factors, one member had laughed (they soon learned that his name was Robert Decker) and complimented him on finding such a simple solution to a glaring problem, while another member eyed him with distrust, questioning the thinning of resources when they had concluded that it could not have been an animal at work, and why and how would it be coming from the ocean. Bakura could not remember his name, but he was another one of those people who had still not warmed up to him. However, the community and City Council still agreed that a new search party was in order, as ignoring the problem was not keeping the city safe. Now volunteers traded off nights in which two groups (timed an hour apart) would walk, or ride, the smaller city limits one way and two groups another, both creating a full circle by the end of the night. Thus far there had been no other disappearances. Yet that did not mean there would not be, as a full month had not yet passed since the last time when the daughter of another rancher named Greg Vasquez had ridden off on a trail in the afternoon to gather kale. The rider and the horse were never found.

"More than likely," Bakura answered, plucking a piece of yellowed grass from D's hair and flicking it away. The boy looked up at him and Bakura nudged him off to go play with the dog, which the D happily did. The two adults watched as the child chased after the sheep dog, riling it up for a game of tug of war.

"Then you really should take a break," she said after a moment, her voice lowering. "Do you think that you'll find anything?"

Bakura looked her in the eye and saw something he did not like. It spoke of an emotion he had been faced with before and had stood in a similar position, just as perplexed. He did not want that responsibility, however, did not want that complete adoration for doing absolutely nothing. Not from her. This girl before him was just that, an adolescent girl who's crush was turning into something more, so similar to the young woman who died in his arms. He would not be around for much longer, he knew this with some intuitive part within him, and he would not be the cause for her heartache.

How to explain this all to her was his problem. "I hope that we do," he started, looking toward the stables where he caught a glimpse of Matt Ellis' hat. "That is our job, to find what is happening to these people, and to stop it from happening again."

"You know…you're really brave."

He shook his head. "No, not really, but thank you. I just do not like the thought of anyone else losing family. Listen…" She looked at him so intently that he had to look away. His cheeks were already reddening and he cursed himself for being so ridiculous. She was just a teenager, how was it that he was incapable of putting her interests somewhere else? "I am going to go talk to your father…and give him this package." He once again raised the box for her to take note of and hurried off, trying to ignore the confused look that D was now giving him as he passed by him, more quickly than intended. His face was flushing and while flattered he wanted no part of it. He felt so trapped and confused.

"Uhm…Matt? Mrs. Rosales sent this for you," Bakura said to the man who was cleaning one of the horse's hooves. Lucky was the horse's name if he remembered correctly, a palomino if he recalled correctly. Matt glanced up at him and gave a nod in the direction of where he wanted the parcel to be placed.

"Did she remember to return the clippers? Sophie's been trying to tend her garden with regular scissors and if she didn't I'm going to have hell to pay."

Setting the package on the stool, the young man shook his head. "I don't know. I tried to ask Mr. Johnson but he…" he frowned and figured it best not to complain. They all had more important things to deal with than a rude mail carrier.

"He what?"

"Left before I could ask. Anyway, I am done with the other chores you asked me to complete, is there anything else I can do?"

Matt looked up at him and then continued scraping the mud and rock from between the shoe and hoof. "You know where I've been?"

Bakura blinked. The question seemed a little odd in response to his. "No, Matt, I don't. I thought you were out here most of the day tending to the horses."

"With your help we've been keeping up so well with the house and animals that I've had a little free time. I want you to saddle up and take a ride with me. You remember how to saddle the horse right?" Bakura nodded and Matt returned it, clearing his throat. "Good, take Rusty. He's the one I've been teaching you on."

"And D?"

"He and Andy should be fine. They're still working on the fence, right?"

"They finished. Elizabeth and I looked at it."

"What?" Matt looked up at him skeptically. "This I have to see. It should have taken them most of the day, if not all."

Bakura shrugged. "They worked diligently, I guess."

"Well then, let them play or do what they want to do. You say it's done, I believe you. Now get the saddle on Rusty and follow me."

Bakura could not say that he was made for riding horses, but he was grateful that he had finally learned how not to bounce wildly in the seat once the horse's speed moved up to a canter. Looking down at his neck, Bakura brushed away a rather large horsefly that was trying to land on the horse's red-brown coat. Rusty was a Bay or so Matt told him, although he couldn't tell the difference between the different types of horses and wasn't quite sure why it mattered for him to remember that. He had listened and nodded and followed instruction, however, because the man and his family had been nothing but kind to them, and maybe, perhaps, one day he'd be able to use that bit of knowledge for _something_.

Now D…D took to riding horses. Bakura recalled the first day that they had been introduced to the new tasks that would be required of them; D had eyed the horses with that childlike interest that made the young man's heart swell with happiness. Of course the boy had seen horses before, but mostly in pictures, or mostly glimpsed at night. At first the horses had shied away from him, sensing what Matt and his family could not…but after a time with just a look from the boy, he had been able to walk right up to one (a white horse called Rain) and pat it gently on the neck. After that, it was easy. The boy found his balance faster than Bakura could throw his leg over to the other side of the saddle, and for the most part mastered how to ride at any speed. His only problem was that he tended to push the horse too hard, forgetting that most animals did not have his stamina. Bakura never had that problem. The first time he had tried to gallop he had slid off the saddle and still had a huge bruise on his elbow from where he broke his fall.

"What are you thinking about?" Matt asked, shaking Bakura out of his thoughts.

"Nothing, really. I am just wondering where we are going," Bakura said. Matt gave a single nod but did not respond further, nudging Lucky into a gallop. Bakura watched him for a moment, nervous, and followed after.

They stopped when they reached a trail that ran off into the wooded cliffs of some beach or another. Rusty stomped in irritation as Bakura tried to regain his footing in one of his stirrups while Lucky began sniffing at the ground for something to forage. Matt tugged on the reins lightly to dissuade the impromptu meal, and motioned for Bakura to come closer. The young man did.

"Sorry for seeming so hush hush about this," Matt began, lighting a cigarette. He offered the pack to Bakura who politely declined. The older man shrugged and put it in his shirt pocket. "But I don't think everybody needs to be in on this conversation, if you catch my drift."

Bakura nodded, partially understanding and partially trying to figure what 'catch my drift' meant. "What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked.

"You've been on a few rides with the others, watching, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes."

"And what have you seen?"

Bakura shrugged, unsure as to why it mattered. "Nothing, really. I've heard some coyotes and other small animals, but nothing else."

Matt shifted in his saddle. "It's a whole lot of nothing going on for nearly a full month…not that I'm not happy about it. I don't want to lose any others, but it's odd." He inhaled, and Bakura watched as the smoke trailed out of his mouth. He turned to the young man and said, "It's a pretty big coincidence, wouldn't you say?"

"Coincidence?" Bakura asked, guessing his meaning and disliking the route the discussion was taking.

"Ever since the two of you showed up—"

"You cannot think—!"

The man raised his hand and Bakura's mouth shut, his lips pursed in anger. "No, _I_ don't think you two had anything to do with it. And I doubt the rest of my family would either, but you have to understand that others," he made a twirling motion with his hand, indicating the city, "Others might. It doesn't make sense of course, D's just a kid and you…well to tell you the truth Bakura, you're a good guy, but you're nothing to really be afraid about."

The corner of Bakura's mouth twitched at that, remembering the night of their escape from Domino, but he did not need this man to doubt his innocence. "Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Yeah. I like you and I don't want any harm to come to you or your kid." Again he held his hand up as Bakura went to correct him, "No, it doesn't matter whether or not you're related or if you knew his father or his father's brother. You've taken responsibility of him, and the kid even called you his adoptive parent, he's as good as your own flesh and blood, wouldn't you say?" Bakura nodded. Matt smiled, flicking ash off of his cigarette, "Well, you're safer knowing this, then. No one here is stupid, but we're all scared. It'd only be an idiot who would deny it. There've been disappearances in our city for quite some time now, like I told you before. And then you two come along. Some people might see the lack of 'em as your luck rubbing off on the town and will simply be grateful for it. Others might think that you were a part of that problem, part of a group of raiders or something, come here to gain our trust until they have enough information to attack the town in full force. These others don't know you like I do; all they know is that your appearance and the lack of disappearances is too good to be true. If this keeps up, or if by some chance there is another disappearance and you just happen to capture whatever it is, it'll be just another reason for them not to trust you. How did you succeed where others failed?"

"Basically, you are saying that our welcome is wearing out."

"Basically."

"But not from your end."

"No."

"Well," Bakura said, smiling at the man, "I am glad we at least got to know one another."

Matt chuckled. "Don't make it sound like you are leaving already."

"Never," he replied, returning the laughter. "But on a serious note, why do you think we have not seen anything yet? If there is something or someone going around and spiriting away these people, wouldn't they have left a trail or something? I doubt that D and I scared them off. "

"I don't know, but I don't like it."

"Neither do I."

They sat there in silence for a moment, lost in their own thoughts. Bakura looked down at his hands that held onto the reins a little too tightly. He would not deny Matt's assumption regarding their welcome, but it still stung. Even if no one ever found out about D, would everyone still distrust them, simply for being outsiders? He hoped not, and yet something inside him was telling him yes.

He looked up in time to see Matt slide off his horse and watched as he tethered it to the tree. It was only when he realized Matt was waiting for him that he slid off of his own and did the same. The man was just finishing his cigarette by the time Bakura had managed to tie the knot correctly.

"You're getting better," the man remarked. "You just need to learn speed." Bakura nodded sheepishly fearing he may have done something else wrong but the man simply smiled. "Do you shoot, Bakura?"

"I?" He wanted to say yes, as he had of course used a gun before, but the memory of failing Miho was oddly fresh thanks to Elizabeth, not to mention he no longer had a gun, so he shrugged. "I have, but I do not shoot very well."

"Well that's the other reason why we're here today Bakura. I can't let you leave in good conscience without knowing you're going to have a fighting chance out there. So…" He ambled back to his horse and pulled off a pack Bakura had not noticed until then. Inside were two types of bullets, the larger amount of the two being practice ammunition, and a gun very similar to the one that was slung across Matt's horse. "I figured I'd teach you how to really shoot. And in the end, if you end up having to leave us, all of what is in this pack is yours."

Bakura's eyes widened. "I cannot take this…"

Matt snorted. "You can and you will. I'm not arguing. This is yours and you are going to learn how to use it."

"But…" The young man's eyes were stinging with tears he refused to let fall, "Why?"

"Because you are a good person, Ryou Bakura, it's no more and no less than that. I saw that the first day I met you, after the initial distrust. I saw it again as you helped us out time and time again at our ranch. You didn't have to do half the stuff you did for us, but you did it anyway. I think that boy's going to turn out to be a fine man if he keeps hanging around you." He smiled and raised a hand to rest on Bakura's shoulder, "Were it a different time, were it three years ago, I know that my fellow city dwellers would have loved you. But times are strange now, and nothing is to be trusted, and you have no idea how sorry I am for that."

Bakura nodded, unable to trust himself to speak, but he did hug the man and hoped his gratitude showed in some way. Afterwards, Matt buckled his own gun to his belt and lead Bakura through the wooded land to a place where he received his first real lesson on how to shoot a gun. He was far from Matt's skill, but at least there was more hope for him regarding shooting rather than riding.

As he returned from his excursion he saw D running around outside playing with Andrew. It gave him as much joy as sorrow, but that night as he rode out with the group that consisted of both Robert Decker and the other council member who distrusted him (his name was Henry Ortega) he realized that he wouldn't have changed these new experiences for anything. There was a difficult road ahead of them somewhere, and they needed these good memories to get them by on the hard days when nothing would seem right.

"Just like the good times with you, Amane," he whispered to himself, looking up at the stars.

"Say something?" Robert asked, looking back at him.

"Sorry, I was just talking to myself," he replied, peering into the darkness as if it would open up and let him see what he was searching for. It might have done just that for D, but the boy was at the ranch. He was hopefully asleep, but it was more likely that he was awake and waiting for Bakura to return.

"Try not to," Henry said, urging his horse into riding beside Bakura's. "Unless you want whoever's out there to hear you and get into better hiding."

"Do you still think it's a person?" Robert asked, slowing so now they were riding in a row.

"Don't pull that bullshit with me again, Bob. I don't care what the rest of this city is talking itself into. It's not some animal that's doing this, we already looked into it. We've seen loads of animals just lurking around because no one's keeping them in check, but most of 'em just run when we get too close. Or they don't give a shit and keep eating out of the garbage's. Either people are being stupid and wandering off too far, which I doubt, or someone's taken to a nasty hobby, and they're right under our nose."

"But why?"

"Why not?" Henry continued, "Why not when there's always been murder in history. There was murder three years ago, and there was murder in the middle ages. That shit hasn't changed."

Bakura frowned. "But to think that it is anyone in town…"

"Why not? They're less prone to be suspects…anyone on this ride could be seen as less prone to be suspects…" He eyed Bakura in a way that the young man did not like, and to stop himself from retorting he thought of ways to change the subject; however Robert wanted to continue.

"You can't be saying you think the missing people are due to Ry…Ryo…Ryou here?" Robert snorted, sending Bakura an apologetic smile for butchering his name. He would have preferred Robert calling him Bakura like Matt and his family did, but it was different here, and he was not going to complain over something like which name to use.

"I'm not saying anything aside from it's pretty suspicious that all of the sudden everything stops as soon as he and the kid arrive."

"I doubt it has stopped," Bakura said, "They might be waiting."

"Waiting for what?" Henry asked incredulously.

"For the chance to pin it on someone else, an outsider maybe," he snapped, making his point clear. Robert cleared his throat and looked the other way while Henry kicked his horse forward without another word.

"He's a good guy you know," Robert said after a while. Bakura turned his attention toward him. "Just a lot has happened you know?"

"I know," Bakura said, his voice soft, "But I cannot allow him to say such things. It is not right. He wants to keep this city safe, which I will not blame him for, but I will also not allow him to put it in further danger by looking at me as a suspect."

"You're really serious aren't you?"

"Why would I not be when lives are in danger?"

Robert shook his head. "Hang on a second, I'll be right back," he said, quickly chasing after Henry.

Bakura thought the love those men had for their "city" was sweet, and thought Robert was sweeter still for going to talk the situation over with Henry. At least that's what he assumed was going on. He doubted he was going to be pegged as the killer if Robert managed to convince Henry he was looking at Bakura in the wrong light. Perhaps if he was able to get the whole of the city council thinking that way, they may be able to stay. It was a nice "city", he could see himself remaining there; perhaps a fisherman or something not too exciting and D could live and grow and become whatever he wished.

He was still on that train of thought, imagining D even finding someone to love, when he heard an odd scrapping noise. He turned his head in the direction of where it came from and slowed Rusty to a stop. It repeated itself, metal scraping metal…metal scraping asphalt. Rusty nickered and shied away from the noise. Bakura did what he could to quell the animal's fears but just as he was about to say there was nothing there, he saw it.

In the middle of the road, just at the second cross section, the one they were going pass without a glance because their route turned left at the first one, was a newly formed hole. No, it wasn't newly formed. It was a (now uncovered) manhole. Peering from just inside the darkness was a pair of deep red eyes. Bakura could hear a low slithering noise, something that he did not think he would have heard at any other time, as it began to hoist itself up with oddly clawed hands.

It felt like ages before he was able to fire the gun.


End file.
